Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Monday September 14th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today, our focus is on Suncor Energy settlement.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we take you back to September 14th. 1978 when the show Mork and Mindy premiered on ABC. Mork and Mindy was a spinoff of Happy Days, and focused on the zany antics of Mork from Ork, an alien played by Robin Williams, who landed near Boulder Colorado in his spaceship.

Now, our feature story.

Six months after Suncor Energy agreed to a landmark $9 million settlement for repeatedly violating air quality standards, Coloradans have the opportunity to formally tell the company how they really feel.

Starting last week, neighbors of the Commerce City refinery began surveys on how they want to get notified when the refinery inevitably releases more emissions than permits allow. Focus groups and community forums will round out the outreach efforts, which will stretch into October.

These outreach efforts are part of a settlement Suncor reached in March with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for air quality violations from its Commerce City refinery that occurred from July 2017 through June 2019, as well as in December 2019. The settlement included $4.05 million in penalties and funds for community projects, the highest a single Colorado facility has ever been charged for air quality violations.

As the only petroleum refinery in Colorado, the Commerce City plant processes about 98,000 barrels of jet fuel, gasoline and asphalt every day. Most of the jet fuel for Denver International Airport and a significant portion of the Front Range’s gasoline comes from the refinery.

Lisha Burnett, Suncor’s manager of communications and stakeholder relations. Said [quote] “First things first, we want to listen and we want to engage and hear from the community and do a better job, and be a better neighbor, We want to improve, and we want to do the work to improve.”

But Commerce City Mayor Benjamin Huseman said he’s heard that refrain before, Here’s Colorado Sun writer Lucy Haggard with more details on Huseman’s concerns.

Thanks Lucy, and thank you for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

Lauren Boebert rose from unknown, to a 3rd Congressional District candidate, to someone in Donald Trump’s orbit. But she wouldn’t respond to questions about holes and discrepancies in her biography, including money troubles, family connections and her childhood.

A nonprofit formed by Jared Polis to guide his transition into the governor’s office has quietly transitioned into an advocacy organization for his agenda.
As vast and fast wildfires continue to spread almost unprecedented destruction across America’s three Pacific states, fire scientists, meteorologists and journalists have begun comparing the conflagrations to one firestorm 110 years ago.

25 homes have been destroyed by Cameron Peak fire west of Fort Collins, and Officials believe the fire, which is the fifth largest recorded in Colorado, was human-caused

A coronavirus vaccine has the potential to end this agonizing pandemic. But two new polls out last week revealed startling numbers on how many Coloradans actually want to receive one.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com.

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Monday September 14th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today, our focus is on Suncor Energy settlement. But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;: Today, we take you back to September 14th. 1978 when the show Mork and Mindy premiered on ABC. Mork and Mindy was a spinoff of Happy Days, and focused on the zany antics of Mork from Ork, an alien played by Robin Williams, who landed near Boulder Colorado in his spaceship. Now, our feature story. Six months after Suncor Energy agreed to a landmark $9 million settlement for repeatedly violating air quality standards, Coloradans have the opportunity to formally tell the company how they really feel. Starting last week, neighbors of the Commerce City refinery began surveys on how they want to get notified when the refinery inevitably releases more emissions than permits allow. Focus groups and community forums will round out the outreach efforts, which will stretch into October. These outreach efforts are part of a settlement Suncor reached in March with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for air quality violations from its Commerce City refinery that occurred from July 2017 through June 2019, as well as in December 2019. The settlement included $4.05 million in penalties and funds for community projects, the highest a single Colorado facility has ever been charged for air quality violations. As the only petroleum refinery in Colorado, the Commerce City plant processes about 98,000 barrels of jet fuel, gasoline and asphalt every day. Most of the jet fuel for Denver International Airport and a significant portion of the Front Range&rsquo;s gasoline comes from the refinery. Lisha Burnett, Suncor&rsquo;s manager of communications and stakeholder relations. Said [quote] &ldquo;First things first, we want to listen and we want to engage and hear from the community and do a better job, and be a better neighbor, We want to improve, and we want to do the work to improve.&rdquo; But Commerce City Mayor Benjamin Huseman said he&rsquo;s heard that refrain before, Here&rsquo;s Colorado Sun writer Lucy Haggard with more details on Huseman&rsquo;s concerns. Thanks Lucy, and thank you for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today: Lauren Boebert rose from unknown, to a 3rd Congressional District candidate, to someone in Donald Trump&rsquo;s orbit. But she wouldn&rsquo;t respond to questions about holes and discrepancies in her biography, including money troubles, family connections and her childhood. A nonprofit formed by Jared Polis to guide his transition into the governor&rsquo;s office has quietly transitioned into an advocacy organization for his agenda. As vast and fast wildfires continue to spread almost unprecedented destruction across America&rsquo;s three Pacific states, fire scientists, meteorologists and journalists have begun comparing the conflagrations to one firestorm 110 years ago. 25 homes have been destroyed by Cameron Peak fire west of Fort Collins, and Officials believe the fire, which is the fifth largest recorded in Colorado, was human-caused A coronavirus vaccine has the potential to end this agonizing pandemic. But two new polls out last week revealed startling numbers on how many Coloradans actually want to receive one. For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.coloradosun.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600135753516000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYzbSn6VIXw_s6QRgd2zzp3cXXKQ">www.coloradosun.com</a>. The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you. Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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