Suncor Energy’s Commerce City oil refinery is under investigation again for releasing too much pollution into the air.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment served a notice of violation last week to the refinery. The notice is the first step in an enforcement action after both agencies discovered violations during recent inspections, according to an EPA news release.
The agencies accused Suncor of violating the federal Clean Air Act by releasing too much benzene and other hazardous pollutants. They also say Suncor has violated the terms of its federal air-quality permit and Colorado air pollution regulations, the news release stated.
In February, Suncor reached a $10.5 million settlement with the state for repeated air pollution violations between July 2019 and June 2021. During that period, the refinery exceeded the amounts of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulfide it was allowed to release and violated standards for opacity and visible emissions involving smoke, ash and soot.
Of the $10.5 million, Suncor paid $2.5 million in fines with 60% of that amount going toward environmental justice programs in surrounding neighborhoods. The remaining $8 million was to be spent on upgrading the refinery’s power supply system, which regulators believe was causing repeated violations.
Environmentalists and people who live near the refinery have been critical of federal and state regulators, saying the fines are too small to really punish Suncor and discourage more pollution.
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