COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — Alarms were triggered at the Suncor refinery Tuesday evening after a gas leak, according to the company.
Suncor told FOX31 that the gas leak was “small” and “detected in refining process equipment” at the Commerce City facility. The company said its monitoring system “has not indicated cause for any acute public health concerns.”
Suncor said the refinery alarms went off because of the leak, which was then contained.
“All workers have been accounted for, and there have been no reported injuries,” Suncor’s statement reads.
The company said it reported the incident to “the appropriate response and regulatory agencies, including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.”
“We are taking this situation seriously. Suncor’s top priority is ensuring the health and safety of people in our workplace and in the communities where we operate,” Suncor stated.
Polis renews emergency over Suncor shutdown
The leak comes during the refinery’s shutdown, which will last at least into March. Suncor blamed extreme weather for equipment damage in late December, including fires that hurt two employees.
Gov. Jared Polis has already issued an emergency declaration because of the closure, as Colorado’s only refinery makes up a large portion of the local market for fuel. Polis issued a verbal declaration on Dec. 31. Polis formalized the declaration in a Jan. 27 executive order and renewed it for another month on Monday.
“Such regulatory relief includes but is not limited to trucking hours, truck weight limits, and streamlined pipeline transporting regulations,” the governor’s office has said.
The governor’s office told FOX31’s Alex Rose on Tuesday that Polis has been in touch with major petroleum companies since the shutdown.
“At the outset of this unfortunate event, the governor reached out to providers to help meet the supply shortage in Colorado and through executive action, he stood up the emergency management plan and tasked his staff with helping to fill supply chain gaps throughout the month,” Press Secretary Conor Cahill said. “The governor has been in contact with Suncor, Marathon, Chevron, Phillips 66, Valero, Sinclair since the onset.”