Neverending cloud of concern

Re: “Suncor reported 13 malfunctions since December,” Jan. 28 news story

You know what I’m tired of reading about in the newspaper? Suncor. Here we go again, same old, same old. Polluting our air week after week, month after month, year after year. And their penalty? A slap on the wrist. EPA and our own Colorado organizations, which are meant to control this kind of pollution, have failed us over and over again. Really, just when will it end?

— Mariann Storck, Wheat Ridge

Local and national environmental regulators tolerate Suncor’s malfunctions and disregard for EPA rules. Suncor pays inconsequential fines and continues to exceed even the weak emission standards presently allowed. The fines are not enough to deter, and the emission standards in place already allow for enough ongoing pollution to cause the surrounding area to remain the most polluted zip code in America. Our leaders need to demand more from the EPA.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 directs the EPA to use funds to ameliorate symptoms of pollution in overburdened, low- income areas, like the area surrounding Suncor. The EPA’S definition of environmental justice mentions “implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies… regardless of race, color, nationality, or income…”

Levying fines that are not sufficient to deter is not enforcement, and allowing our North Denver neighbors, who are predominantly minorities earning less than the median income of our city, to suffer a higher incidence of physical and mental illnesses than the rest of the population is contrary

to the EPA’S expressed definition of environmental justice. The government’s ineffective efforts to hold Suncor accountable appear as a slight to these people. Hopefully, more people in Denver will begin to demand accountability from our agencies and representatives to improve living conditions in that part of our city.

A cleaner environment encourages infrastructure remediation and business investment — it also shows that the rest of us value all areas and residents of our city.

— Lucy Pfeffer, Denver