Major Air Polluter Heading up Greenprint Denver Effort

We also had to do a double take.

Suncor Energy, the owner and operator of the oil refineries north of Denver, which together are one of the largest sources of air pollution in the Denver metro area, is the "title sponsor" of Tree by Tree, the Mile High Million. In other words, Suncor Energy is the corporate sponsor behind Mayor Hickenlooper's initiative to plant more trees in Denver.

So why is this a big deal? The Suncor refineries feed gasoline and diesel fueled engines throughout the metro area, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and other dangerous air pollutants. This seems wholly counter to the Greenprint Denver's mission to reduce emissions of air pollution and greenhouse gases in the Denver metro area.

But besides all that, Suncor's support is nauseating in a more literal way. The Suncor oil refineries north of Denver are major air polluters. Not only that, they're major clean air violators. Just last February, Suncor was fined over $300,000 for violating clean air laws and regulations. Not only that, but according to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, the refineries release over 2,000,000 pounds of smog forming pollution and release toxic air pollutants into the communities of northeast Denver, including:

• 6,000 pounds of benzene, a known carcinogen that causes leukemia;
• 7,600 pounds of formaldehyde, also a known carcinogen;
• 3,3200 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, a deadly gas; and
• 5,060 pounds of hexane, another hazardous gas.

The Suncor oil refineries don't exactly seem like a "green" model. Sadly, that hasn't stopped the City of Denver from endorsing their support.

This isn't much of a surprise, however; the City of Denver and Mayor Hickenlooper so far have utterly failed to stand up for clean air in the Denver metro area. Now that the City of Denver is gleaning sponsorship from Suncor Energy, it just shows how much of a joke Greenprint Denver really is.

We're all for corporate sponsorship, but when the corporate sponsor is a major air polluter that threatens our health, we have to draw the line. We're sure the City of Denver would have no problem securing support from more responsible businesses.

The sad irony in all this is that Greenprint Denver's partnership with Suncor Energy is likely to doom Denver's newly planted trees. Many trees, including cottonwood, aspen, choke cherry, and others being planted across the city, are extremely sensitive to smog pollution. And with the Suncor refineries spewing out over 2,000,000 pounds of smog forming pollution, it seems like survival will be tough for the new trees.

With that said, we'll pose the question, is Greenprint Denver nothing but lip service? With Suncor Energy as the "title sponsor" of a key Greenprint Denver campaign, the answer seems to be yes.

Unless and until the City of Denver gets serious about engaging sponsors and allies that are truly dedicated to the goals of Greenprint Denver, don't count on Mayor Hickenlooper to keep you safe or healthy when it comes to air pollution.