Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. has been a part of Colorado’s energy community for more than 15 years. In 2003 and 2005, Suncor purchased the three plants in two refineries from ConocoPhillips and Valero, respectively, which now make up the Commerce City Refinery. In addition, Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. supplies fuel to more than 225 Shell, Exxon, and Mobil sites in Colorado and Wyoming. Of these sites, 44 are Suncor-owned or leased in Colorado, serving about 15 million people each year.
Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc.’s operations and fuel sales have generated over $200 million in Colorado state, county, and municipal taxes over the five year period from 2015 to 2019 averaging approximately $40 million annually. This includes:
- More than $55 million in property taxes to Adams County, averaging approximately $11 million annually, and
- More than $20 million in sales and use tax to Commerce City, averaging approximately $4 million annually.
Turnarounds are large and complex refinery projects that involve planned maintenance and capital investment projects across the facility. Turnarounds take two to three years to plan. Details of the refinery’s most recent turnaround can be found at suncor.com/ccr-report.
We monitor thousands of emissions points on a regular basis and file monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and/or annual reports with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). These agencies also conduct audits of the refinery and its programs on a regular basis.
We work with the EPA and CDPHE to ensure that our Commerce City Refinery has the proper permits. When there are changes to a regulation, we work with regulators to ensure we quickly meet the requirements. We are also regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and receive inspections regularly. Learn more about the air and water regulations that apply to the refinery.
Safety is our number one value at Suncor. We promote safety conversations and participation through a variety of activities and processes, including:
- Incident management
- Serious injury and fatality (SIF) prevention
- Life Saving Rules
- Technology enablement
- Journey to Zero
We also prioritize the safety, health, wellness, and psychological safety and mental health of both our employees and contractors and employ several rigorous programs to proactively support the safe operation of the refinery. These include our mechanical integrity and quality assurance program, reliability improvement plan, and process hazard analysis program. Together, these programs enable us to proactively maintain and improve the integrity and reliability of our refinery, meet industry codes and practices, and prevent the release of hazardous chemicals.