Suncor Refinery
Located just west of I-270 on Brighton Boulevard in Commerce City, the Suncor refinery is Colorado's only major petroleum refinery. The refinery is divided into three plants: Plants 1 and 2 are a major supplier of gasoline and diesel fuel in Colorado, while Plant 3 is the state's main producer of asphalt. The refinery has been in operation since 1931.
Although the refinery is located within the city, most regulatory oversight of the facility is conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Environmental Reportable Events Summary
Select the link below and scroll near the bottom of the page for a list of exceedances, permit violations, and other hazardous materials reporting requirements from Suncor as required by law:
Reportable Event Summaries
Suncor also submits reports to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at different times depending on applicable requirements.
Sign up for refinery notifications from Suncor
Notifications from Suncor about Commerce City Refinery operations are available in both English and Spanish. When you can see, hear, or smell something at the refinery that may prompt questions or concerns, refinery notifications allow you to hear about it directly from Suncor via text, email and/or phone. To sign up for refinery notifications, visit Suncor.com/CCRsignup or text SUNCOR to 888777. Suncor will also continue to share updates at Suncor.com/Colorado when there is an event or incident.
In the event of an emergency requiring action, hazardous conditions, or emergent events threatening lives or property, notifications will come through the CodeRED emergency alert system operated by the AdComm 911 dispatch center.
Click or tap here to sign up for CodeRED
GEMM2 Rule for Suncor
The state will be implementing new regulations entitled GEMM2 Rule for Suncor. The first public draft of the GEMM 2 rule language is now available on their website. Please note that this document is intended to encourage public input and will continue to be modified in the next months as we gather additional feedback and further develop key aspects of the rule, up through the Air Quality Control Commission rulemaking hearing in September 2023.
Suncor Title V Permit – Plant 1 and 3
On July 5, 2022 the City submitted the following 9 - page comment letter(PDF, 589KB) to CDPHE documenting past violations, environmental justice issues and recommendations to help protect the health of workers and community members.
Title V Operating Permit Renewal - Plant 2
Under the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, the refinery is classified as a "Major Source" based on their pollutant emission levels and is required to maintain a Title V Operating Permit.
The Suncor Commerce City Refinery currently has two separate EPA permits governing their emission levels. One permit regulates Plants 1 & 3 (west of Brighton Road), and a separate permit regulates emissions at Plant 2 (east of Brighton Road). The permit for Plant 2 is currently up for renewal with the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. This process will include public hearings and comment opportunities.
Learn more about the Suncor Title V permit renewal from CDPHE
As part of the permit renewal process, Commerce City submitted an official comment letter to the CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division on March 19, 2021.
Water Quality Permit Renewals
The state’s Water Quality Control Division is currently in the process of renewing two permits for the Suncor Refinery related to water quality and limiting the pollution that is released to groundwater sources and Sand Creek:
- One permit allows for outfall of treated wastewater and groundwater into Sand Creek
- Another permit allows for the discharge of stormwater off the Suncor site into Sand Creek
This detailed state permit renewal process has a targeted adoption date of Spring 2022. This process will include public hearings and comment opportunities.
Learn more about the Suncor water quality permit renewal process from CDPHE
Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) Process
In March 2020, CDPHE announced a $9 million settlement for State and Federal air pollution violations at the Suncor refinery. Over $2.6 million of that settlement will be used for environmental projects benefiting communities near the refinery. This area includes southwest Commerce City, the Elyria-Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods of Denver, and segments of unincorporated Adams County.
The state’s Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) process determined how this money would be distributed, what kinds of projects were funded, and how/where they were implemented. To ensure that Commerce City residents benefit from these projects, the city conducted a robust public outreach process before submitting project applications for air monitoring and indoor air quality improvements. While the city's projects were not selected, the link above outlines the selected projects and their progress since implementation.
Background: Suncor Violations and Settlement
On March 6, 2020, CDPHE announced a $9 million settlement for State and Federal air pollution violations at the Suncor refinery in Commerce City. The settlement addresses many events where Suncor emitted pollutants over set limits as well as violations relating to requirements of how facilities are operated and monitored. These events occurred since July 2017, including a significant increase in violations that occurred during the period from January through June 2019.
The settlement also includes penalties for the “operational upset” and other violations that happened in December 2019. $2,624,100 of this settlement will be used for the state’s Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) to benefit the surrounding communities. The agreement included a requirement for Suncor to conduct additional public outreach efforts in Commerce City and other surrounding communities.
Contact / Questions
Commerce City staff contact:
Olivia Quagliani
oquagliani@c3gov.com