Call for GEMM2 Committee to Meet With Impacted Communities Near Suncor

In September 2023, members of the community and the Cultivando team shared personal testimonies before the state’s GEMM2 Committee during public hearings and presented to state legislators the findings from the year-long air monitoring project titled AIRE, Air Quality Investigation and Research for Equity, centered around the Suncor Refinery in Commerce City, Colorado. The subsequent ruling issued by the Committee is disappointing and impacted individuals and families are demanding a follow-up meeting with the Air Quality Control Commission take place to face those who endure the impacts to public health due to toxic exposure. The Cultivando team will be organizing details and logistics for this community meeting which will be shared at a later time.

Cultivando’s Director of Environmental Justice Programs, Guadalupe Solis stated, “The Suncor oil refinery has been polluting our community for nearly 100 years. Regulations around acceptable toxic levels must be updated now to prevent further damage to the health and well-being of people who live in proximity to the refinery. The biggest concern of the residents here in Commerce City has been the air quality.”

Those most impacted by toxic exposure absolutely need timely information in culturally congruent ways to take mitigating measures during pollution events such as keeping windows and doors closed and not exercising outside. The health and wellbeing of local residents demand that the Refinery’s role in polluting the air and the water needs to be addressed. When health is impaired by chronic or life-threatening illness, such as asthma or even cancer, people can not function well at jobs or in school. It is imperative to prioritize people’s health and wellbeing when dealing with toxic chemical exposure.

Solis added, “We’ve had community members who’ve lived here for decades, and we are concerned about the cumulative effect of living under these conditions every single day of their lives.”

Cultivando is an organization that serves the Latino community in Adams County and focuses on community leadership to advance health equity through advocacy, collaboration, and policy change.