Suncor and the Environmental Protection Agency agree a $160,000 settlement regarding air breaches in Commerce City

 Suncor and the Environmental Protection Agency agree a $160,000 settlement regarding air breaches in Commerce City

In connection with alleged violations of the Clean Air Act's fuel standards at the firm's Commerce City refineries, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the energy giant Suncor, which is owned by Canada, struck a settlement on Wednesday.

In addition to paying a $160,660 civil penalty, Suncor has committed to implementing an environmental project that would see it invest at least $600,000 in electric lawn and garden equipment for locals in the Commerce City region, as well as for local governments, schools, and businesses.

According to Forbes, the value of Suncor is roughly $45 billion.

According to a statement from the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann, "This settlement shows that EPA will hold refineries accountable when the fuel they produce fails to meet legal requirements." "The residents impacted by Suncor's misconduct will have better air quality thanks to this settlement and the supplemental environmental project that Suncor agreed to include."

The EPA asserts that Suncor's gasoline production led to excessive volumes of dangerous air pollution by releasing cancer-causing benzene into the atmosphere, an allegation Suncor disputes.

No extra benzene was released into the environment as a result of these problems, the business said in a statement to CBS News Colorado on Wednesday. "5% of the petrol produced in Commerce City was affected by the exceedance at the East Plant. 95% of our petrol comes from our West Plant, and it was much below the required level. The total volumes of the Commerce City Refinery's East Plant and West Plant's petrol production in 2021 were similarly below the benchmark. 

According to the EPA, Suncor generated more than 32 million gallons of petrol at its Commerce City East refinery in 2021 with an average benzene concentration of 1.77 volume percent, above the standard's maximum 1.30 volume percent. At its Commerce City West refinery in June 2022, Suncor produced more over 1 million gallons of summer petrol with a vapour standard of 7.9 pounds per square inch, which was higher than the 7.8 psi standard. According to the EPA, Suncor reported both offences.

The business declared, "We have revised our internal procedures to prevent such a violation from happening again at the East Plant." Separately, Suncor is finishing a process that would allow it to start supplying reformulated petrol in the summer of 2024. RFG will drastically lower the amount of volatile organic compounds in Colorado, which will lessen ozone generation there.

The complete settlement agreement is available to read below. You can click here if you're having trouble viewing it on your device.