The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has published the Colorado Refinery Report comparing data, requirements, and procedures for petroleum refineries nationwide and the Suncor refinery in Commerce City. The report highlights potential opportunities to further reduce emissions from refineries.
“Over the past few years, Suncor has been subject to many new air quality requirements as a result of our work to implement new policies and address past violations. This report identifies additional areas for study and evaluation that could potentially address concerns we’ve heard from community members,” said CDPHE Senior Director of State Air Quality Programs Michael Ogletree.
The report comes after the CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division completed the refinery expert review required under House Bill 24-1338: Cumulative Impacts & Environmental Justice. To summarize findings from the refinery expert review, the division hired a contractor to independently prepare the report. The division did not author the report; the contractor independently developed its findings and conclusions. The division also prepared a plain language overview to make the report more accessible to the public.
The report aims to:
- Provide an overview of air quality impacts from Suncor based on emissions data.
- Identify potential emission reduction opportunities based on Colorado’s current regulations, other states’ and federal regulations, and technology used at similar refineries nationwide.
- Summarize the independent contractor’s findings and conclusions.
The division is holding an informational public meeting to further explain the report’s findings and answer questions. Register to join the virtual meeting from 6 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Language services will be provided.
The division is in the early stages of considering which opportunities highlighted in the report it may pursue as part of a rulemaking focused on refinery operations in Colorado. Any future regulatory proposal would be developed through a public process that includes technical review, feasibility studies, economic analysis, and community input.
Over the past several years, the CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division has pursued multiple strategies to reduce pollution from the refinery. The division is continuously prioritizing compliance with state and federal laws, enhancing transparency around the refinery’s emissions, and engaging with the community living and working near the refinery.
Examples of air quality requirements that apply to Suncor include:
- Air toxics emissions reductions rule, adopted in April 2026.
- Community benefit projects and a robust fenceline air monitoring program through the division’s February 2024 enforcement package with Suncor.
- Pollution reductions through our Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Management for Manufacturing 2 (GEMM 2) rule, adopted in October 2023.
- Enhanced considerations for the cumulative impacts of all pollution sources in our air permitting rule, adopted in May 2023.
- Updated requirements in both of the refinery’s latest Title V operating permits, issued in September 2022 and July 2024.
- Mobile air monitoring near Suncor under Colorado’s Regulate Air Toxics Act, adopted in June 2021.
- Visibility protections for national parks and pollution reductions through our regional haze phase 2 rule, finalized in December 2021.
- Community notifications system and projects through the division’s March 2020 enforcement package with Suncor.
Visit CDPHE’s web page on air quality and the Suncor refinery to learn more.
