When the Denver City Council rejected a $25 million contract with Suncor Energy last week, it was just the latest example in the past year of local governments in Colorado pushing back against the oil and gas industry.

The council voted unanimously as its members cited the Commerce City oil refinery’s repeated violation of its air and water permits, which govern how much toxic chemicals the facility is allowed to release.

Monday’s vote came less than two weeks after representatives of Adams County’s Board of County Commissioners and health department spoke against a Holly Energy Partners plan to increase the amount of gasoline it pumps through a terminal in Henderson. Two members of Commerce City’s City Council also spoke against the increased capacity at the terminal.

Commissioner Lynn Baca, chairwoman of the Adams County board, said the county is building up its environmental team because pollution is taking its toll on the people who live there, and it is local government’s responsibility to protect residents’ health.

“A lot of these facilities for oil and gas reside in disproportionately impacted and cumulatively impacted communities,” Baca said. “We really take to heart that, and while we support energy and we’re all users of it, we want the state and Holly Energy to be really respectful neighbors when they come into the community.

“We just want a seat at the table and not feel disregarded by the (state’s) Air Pollution Control Division and Holly Energy.”

Local voices have long held influence over decisions about the economy and environment in Colorado, but it’s often hard for politicians to deny industry expansion when that brings jobs to the local economy and enriches tax coffers. Opposition on the local level in Colorado appears to be picking up steam as the Trump administration attempts to roll back regulations aimed at reducing pollution and local elected officials take it upon themselves to fight for the environment.

Other recent examples of local government opposition to the oil and gas industry include:

—The Adams County commissioners, Commerce City’s City Council and the Adams 14 School District last year fought an expansion of the Magellan Pipeline Company’s gasoline storage facility near an elementary school. The company withdrew its plans after the school district and parents threatened to sue.

—The city of Boulder and Boulder County’s ongoing lawsuit against Suncor and ExxonMobil for damage caused by climate change. That case awaits a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court that will determine whether it can continue in state courts.

—Eagle County is leading a coalition of opponents trying to prevent the 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway, which would increase the amount of crude oil hauled across Colorado.

—And 145 elected officials who belong to Colorado Communities for Climate Action signed a letter calling on state and federal politicians to oppose President Donald Trump’s executive order that favors increased coal production and seeks to unravel what the president called “state overreach” on climate goals.

Basalt Mayor David Knight said it comes down to Colorado’s independent spirit and elected officials listening to constituents who are worried about climate change and pollution’s impact on their health.

“If reducing emissions and combating climate change is what they want, they’re going to pull the levers that are within their reach,” he said of local officials signing letters, hiring climate experts and speaking at public comment sessions.

‘Political grandstanding’

However, Lynn Granger, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said she did not see the recent opposition as a trend. Instead, she accused government leaders of political showmanship rather than sound decision-making. She noted that the Denver City Council’s decision to give a liquid asphalt contract to another company will cost taxpayers an additional $300,000.

“These are important decisions that need to be made on the merits of the project and not based on political grandstanding, and that is concerning to me,” Granger said.

Suncor representatives did not respond to The Denver Post’s interview request about the asphalt contract.

The oil and gas industry powers Colorado’s economy, delivering nearly $2 billion in tax revenue annually and employing 303,000 people, according to COGA’s data from 2021 and 2022. Therefore, decisions about the industry need to be based on state regulations and the technical merits of any projects, such as expanding storage facilities, permitting new wells and increasing capacity at pipeline terminals, Granger said.

Colorado’s growing population demands more fuel for cars, trucks and airplanes. Those vehicles are a major cause of the poor air quality along the Front Range. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies the region as being in severe violation of federal ozone standards, and that requires motorists to use a special blend of gasoline in the summer to lower emissions from the millions of vehicles on the roads.

That requirement for a special blend, known as reformulated gas, or RFG, is the reason Holly Energy Partners says it needs to bring more fuel through its Henderson terminal.

If the project is approved by the state, Holly Energy would almost double the amount of fuel it pipes into the Henderson terminal. Because reformulated gasoline produces lower emissions, the company says the amount of volatile organic compounds, one of the ingredients in ground-level ozone pollution, would be reduced. The increased capacity would raise overall nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions.

Jason Leik, director of environmental remediation at HF Sinclair, Holly Energy’s parent company, said the project would benefit the Front Range by making sure there is an ample supply of reformulated gas in the summer.

“Please note there is no physical expansion of the terminal being proposed in this permit,” Leik said. “No new tanks or equipment are being constructed to facilitate the throughput increase.”

Politicians reflect constituents’ views

But the Adams County elected officials and environmentalists are skeptical. They argued during an April 24 hearing that there is nothing in the permit that prevents the company from shifting away from RFG and continuing to pump larger amounts of regular gasoline and diesel into Colorado.

“This seems to be a sham limit” that will not keep VOCs down, said Renee Chacon, a Commerce City councilwoman and vocal critic of the oil and gas industry.

Over the years, people in Commerce City, Adams County and North Denver have grown more vocal in their criticism of the oil and gas industry. Their elected officials’ voices reflect that.

“We already have an excess of heavy industrial operations that people have to live with, and this impacts the quality of life and their health. Those are concentrated in Commerce City,” Commerce City Councilwoman Kristi Douglas said during the Holly Energy project hearing. “This expansion is not necessary. It’s only putting profits ahead of people.”

Baca said Adams County residents are increasingly worried about how the industry impacts their health. That’s why the county recently hired Tehya Stockman, who holds a doctoral degree in air quality, to serve as the county’s air quality and policy program specialist. She advises commissioners on the impacts the oil and gas industry and other polluters have on public health.

“The county has scaled up the staff so we can go toe-to-toe with the state of Colorado and go toe-to-toe with the producers,” said Baca, the Adams County commissioner.

Baca applauded Denver’s decision to kill the Suncor contract.

“Suncor has been a bad actor in our region. They are not reachable. They have not been a good partner,” she said. “The environment is important to our residents. And if there is a better way of doing business, they need to do that type of business in Adams County and Colorado.”

‘Protect what’s important’

In Basalt, protecting water is the focus, Knight said.

That is why the town is one of 45 local governments that belong to Colorado Communities for Climate Action, a coalition that advocates for stronger climate policies at the state and federal levels. Its members often speak at hearings before the legislature and regulatory agencies such as the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission.

The town has been active in opposing the Uinta Basin Railway to protect the Colorado River and fought to prevent mineral, mining and geothermal leasing in the Thompson Divide.

“We have our own vision for what our communities should be and how we use our own land, water and air,” Knight said. The city government is “feeling empowered and taking it into your own hands to protect what’s important to your own community. That’s what’s happening in this state.”

Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter said she feels like the trend isn’t new and cited the 1962 Mother’s March on City Hall in Westminster as an example. That year, women picketed to demand clean drinking water for their families. Shortly afterward, the first women were elected to Westminster’s City Council.

Pinter said she is carrying on that work but understands local representation is critical in the current political climate.

“There’s a real worry that if the federal government is going to abdicate oversight, then it becomes a local issue,” she said. “We do care about a healthy economy, but not at the expense of healthy lives.”

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