Suncor pollutes into nearby neighborhoods more often than similar facilities

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

e Colorado regional o ce of the EPA vowed tougher enforcement action against Suncor in Commerce City, issuing a report showing the re nery releases air pollutants into nearby neighborhoods more often than many similar facilities around the U.S.

Suncor logged more excess releases of sulfur dioxide-laden tail gas than any of 11 comparable re neries from 2016 to 2020, according to the Region 8 EPA study. Sulfur in tail gas is meant to be recovered to cycle back into the re ning process to avoid potentially toxic emissions. Suncor’s Commerce City re nery also had the second-highest number of excess hydrogen sul de releases, or acid gas, among the same group of re neries, according to the EPA analysis, which was conducted with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment using federal recovery act funds.

In another tracked category, hydrocarbon aring, Suncor was in the middle of incidents recorded from the 12 total re neries, the EPA said. e analysis by a third-party engineer said Suncor’s Commerce City facility may be producing more air quality incidents because of faulty electrical equipment, lack of preventative maintenance, and not testing or inspecting other control systems adequately.

“We will use this information and other targeting tools to focus our e orts for future inspections and enforcement,” said Region 8 EPA Administrator KC Becker, a former Democratic Speaker of the House at the Colorado legislature. e state health department, which reached a large settlement with Suncor over past emissions incidents and failures, also said the new study would result in steppedup enforcement for the facility under increasing pressure from neighbors and local elected o cials.

“We anticipate the ndings will result in direct actions for Suncor to make improvements,” said Trisha Oeth, the CDPHE’s director of environmental health and protection.

Suncor did not respond to messages seeking comment this week.

Clean air advocates said state and federal o cials have plenty of information, and now must toughen their responses to Suncor’s ongoing air pollution incidents and applications for permit renewals.

“We have known Suncor has been a bad actor for years,” said Ean Tafoya, Colorado director of GreenLatinos. “It’s time to plan the just transition, including the retirement and remediation of Suncor. Our leaders have had the data. Now they have more. Will they act?” e EPA has said it will change policies and permitting to pursue environmental justice for the neighbors of frequent polluters. Commerce City and north Denver neighborhoods surrounding Suncor have lower income, larger minor- ver communities.

Suncor is the only petroleum re nery in Colorado, producing gasoline for cars and aviation fuel for Denver International Airport. e re nery released potentially dangerous sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sul de into the surrounding neighborhood in late April, the second incident that month, and state health o cials