Shut down Suncor's oil refinery injustice

Colorado regulators want to approve a new permit that would allow Suncor Energy to keep polluting at its oil refinery north of Denver, even as the company chronically violates clean air laws meant to protect people and communities. It’s time to put an end to this climate and environmental injustice.

For years, Suncor has violated clean air laws, releasing toxic gases like benzene and hydrogen cyanide. For communities next to the refinery, which are primarily people of color and low-income families, the refinery is an absolute injustice.

Take action today! Sign the petition to ensure Colorado regulators do the right and legal thing by denying Suncor’s air pollution permit.

Photo Credit: Josh Gordy

Recipients

Gary Kaufman, Director, Colorado Air Pollution Control Division
Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director, Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment

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Dear Executive Director Hunsaker Ryan and Director Kaufman:

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I call on you to confront the injustice that is Suncor's Commerce City oil refinery and to deny the company's permit to keep operating.

The Suncor oil refinery is the poster child for climate and environmental injustice in Colorado. Its toxic air pollution, including hydrogen cyanide, benzene, and other gases, disproportionately impacts people of color and low-income families, all while fueling the climate crisis.

If Colorado is serious about climate action, justice, and clean air, it must deny Suncor's permit.

There is every legal justification to deny the permit. The company is a "high priority" violator under the Clean Air Act. It regularly flouts clean air laws meant to protect people's health. There is simply no way for Suncor to operate its refinery in compliance.

By law, you must deny a permit to a polluter when they are incapable of operating in compliance. By law, you must deny Suncor's permit.

When a driver gets ticketed for speeding too many times, they're deemed a safety threat and lose their license.

I call on you to apply the same common sense logic to Suncor. For its years of illegal, dangerous air pollution, Suncor must lose its license to pollute.

I don't want more monitoring. I don't want more testing or modeling. I don't want more empty promises. I don't want more leniency or slaps on the wrist. Follow the law. Put people and justice first, shut it down.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]