Suncor oil refinery agrees to $9M settlement with CO for air quality violations in Commerce City

Suncor Energy will pay $9 million to settle air quality violations at its refinery in Commerce City dating to 2017, including one in December that blanketed adjacent neighborhoods in an ashy substance.

It is the biggest penalty Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has ever leveled from a single facility to resolve air pollution violations.

“Our number one goal is to get facilities back into compliance as quickly as possible and to keep them there,” John Putnam, the agency’s environmental director, said Friday as he announced the deal at a news conference. “… However, when that does not happen we rely on our enforcement tools to bring facilities back into compliance, deter future violations and ensure a level playing field for all businesses in Colorado.”

The settlement includes $4.05 million for community environmental projects, including $2.6 million in spending that will be directed by the state health department and members of the surrounding communities by people in neighborhoods, such as Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, who were affected by the violations.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2020/03/06/suncore-commerce-city-colorado-settlement-air-quality/