From September to November 2020, Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. reached out to the community for feedback about our communications and relationships. We are grateful to the hundreds of residents who participated in the survey in English and Spanish and shared it with others.
We conducted this outreach so we could hear your thoughts on how to be a better neighbor. This work was also a part of our recent agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and new state legislation. While we may have completed this phase of the engagement process, we continue to listen and make changes based on what we hear. This is an ongoing conversation and an important part of living our purpose.
As of January 1, 2021, we are using the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) through Adams County to notify community members surrounding the Commerce City Refinery in the event of an emergency that requires immediate action by the community. Residents will receive these alerts automatically, and they will be posted to our Commerce City Refinery page.
You can also now sign up for Refinery Notifications, a new system that provides updates in English and Spanish when there is an event or incident at the refinery that does not require immediate action by the community.
Our research results
We reached out to the community to hear your thoughts on how we can be a better neighbor. We are using the feedback you provided to shape how we will communicate and engage with the community, and here are some of the actions we’ve taken:
Information and resources
| What you told us | Suncor actions |
|---|---|
| Survey participants said a website was one of their top choices for how they want to receive information and be alerted of non-emergency events. | Launched Commerce City Refinery webpage to provide information and updates. |
Alerts and notifications
| What you told us | Suncor actions |
|---|---|
| 64% of residents want to be automatically alerted in the case of an emergency. | Started using the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) through Adams County to notify the surrounding community about any emergencies that require immediate action. |
| For non-emergencies, text message, phone call and email were the top choices residents selected for how they want to hear from us. | Launched notifications to alert neighbors when there is an event at the refinery that does not require immediate action by the community. Sign up for notifications. |
Operational improvements
| What you told us | Suncor actions |
|---|---|
| 55% of residents believe Suncor is important to the community, but more work needs to be done to help the community understand the refinery’s operations and its improvements. |
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What the research explored
We worked with an independent research firm to collect feedback. Individual responses were kept anonymous, confidential and reported in total only.
Questions covered topics like how respondents consume news and information, their expectations of businesses including Suncor, how effective they think our communications has been previously and how they would like to provide and receive information from us.
The survey was designed to gather feedback on how we can better communicate about our business and keep the community informed about operations and activities, as well as how they want to communicate with us.
How the community participated
The survey was open to the public and Suncor employees from September to November 2020. We used a mix of one-on-one interviews, focus groups and online and telephone surveys – in English and Spanish – to gather feedback from residents. Due to COVID-19, research was conducted virtually. We received hundreds of responses from employees, elected officials, community leaders, and residents.
About the 2020 settlement with CDPHE
In March of 2020, the Commerce City Refinery reached a settlement agreement with the Air Pollution Control Division within CDPHE regarding air compliance issues during the 2017-2019 period.