COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Black smoke and flames were visible in the area of the Suncor Energy refinery Tuesday morning from a Denver7 city camera.
The refinery sent out a notification at 10:01 a.m. Tuesday, saying the flare — a tall smoke stack burning off excess gas at Suncor — is part of "unit startup activities." Suncor called it an "important safety measure and environmental control tool" that allows the facility to run safely.
Suncor is the only petroleum refinery in Colorado, according to the state department of public health and environment (CDPHE). It manufactures gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuels and asphalt.
Commerce City
Commerce City neighbors skeptical of Suncor flare project to improve air quality
While "no action is required," according to Suncor, residents in the area can visit this website for publicly available air monitoring data. It's a resource linked on Suncor's website here.
A concerned neighbor reached out to Denver7 Tuesday morning, saying residents were not notified about the flare ahead of time, sending us the following picture.
While the refinery said the flare is nothing to worry about, it comes after years of the community expressing frustration over Suncor's environmental impact and doubt surrounding the refinery's operations.
In 2024, community members and environmental groups filed a lawsuit against Suncor alleging it had repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act.
Environment
Environment groups file lawsuit against Suncor Energy in Commerce City
The year prior, a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed Suncor produced more air pollution than 11 similar refineries across the U.S.
The CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division oversees Suncor. On May 1, 2026, the division published the Colorado Refinery Report comparing data, requirements and procedures for petroleum refineries nationwide with Suncor. It found potential opportunities to reduce emissions, indicated in part, in the table below.
The rest of the recommendations can be found beginning on page 68 of the full report embedded below.
The CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division said it will develop a proposal for pursuing these recommendations to improve air quality. Then, it will hold a series of public meetings in August and September to hear community feedback virtually. They are scheduled on Zoom for:
- Wednesday, August 26 from 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, August 29 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 1 from 6-8 p.m.
The division plans to present the proposal to the Air Quality Control Commission by the end of 2026 and request a rulemaking hearing. Then, if the commission approves the request, the rulemaking hearing would happen in spring of next year, according to the CDPHE.
Previous coverage:
- Boulder’s landmark lawsuit against Suncor, Exxon can proceed, Colorado Supreme Court rules
- Commerce City residents demand accountability from Suncor after increased smoke, flaring at refinery
- 'Increased smoke and flaring' visible at Suncor as refinery restarts after outage
- Commerce City neighbors skeptical as Suncor plans flare project to improve refinery operations, air quality
- Environment groups file lawsuit against Suncor Energy in Commerce City, alleging Clean Air Act violations
- Report finds Suncor refinery in Commerce City produces more air pollution compared to similar refineries
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