What if Suncor Shut Down Forever?
A series of mysterious incidents in late December forced the Suncor refinery in Commerce City to shut down for weeks. The refinery is reviled by environmental activists and neighbors for its history of polluting our air and water, but it’s also responsible for about 40% of Colorado’s supply of gasoline. So, what if the shutdown was permanent? What if Mother Earth snapped her fingers and it disappeared? Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips has been covering Suncor for years, and she’s on today with producer Paul Karolyi to explain the current situation and imagine what a Denver without Suncor would look like.
Catch up on all Noelle’s reporting on Suncor here: https://www.denverpost.com/author/noelle-phillips/
At the 9News mayoral debate last week, Ean Thomas Tafoya took aim at Chris Hansen over a recent TV ad. Check out our interview with Tafoya, and the rest of our Mayoral Madness coverage — and make sure to stay tuned for our interview with Chris Hansen this weekend.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Or Instagram: @citycastdenver
Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay connected to City Cast Denver and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
What's the Denver-est Halloween Costume of 2026? Plus, Your Takes on Compost, Pizza, and Denver's Unwritten Rules
Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love are opening up the mailbag to hear from you, our dear listeners. We’re sharing your idea...

CoCo Ballot Blame Game, Victor Marx's Scandal Streak, and the Viral Punch at DIA
There’s a measure on this November’s ballot that would create a sales tax to support the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail, but around...

‘Your City Could Be Better’: A St. Paul Cell Phone Ban Teens Might Actually Like — Presented By City Cast Denver
Another Denver school year has begun — how are cell phones being handled? In Minnesota, one high school is demonstrating that a strict no...

A Cheesy New Ethics Complaint at DIA, CoCo Vote Veers Off Course, and Denver's Best PSL
It might not feel like it, but we are, actually, in the fall season! Contributor Michelle Jackson joins producer Olivia Jewell Love to ch...

How This Election Could Change All Other Elections. Plus, ‘Love is Blind’: Where Are They Now?
It's election season, and those blue books are beefy this year! We’re going one by one through some of the thorniest ballot measures all...

What Would You Name Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? Plus, Casa Bonita’s Wishing Well and Local Comedy Drama
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park may not be long for this world – well, the name anyway. For the first time in the Colorado Rapids soccer stadi...

Harsher Fentanyl Penalties, Voter ID Requirements, and More of the Conservative Agenda on Colorado Ballots
The conservative nonprofit Advance Colorado brought a whopping eight initiatives to the ballot this year – that’s more than half of the 1...

The DPS Board’s Half-Decade of Drama, Meet Your Soulmate, and Will a Chatbot Replace Denver's 311 Operators?
Denver Public Schools board member DJ Torres resigned last week, his reasoning being “too much of my time and energy have been consumed b...

‘Your City Could Be Better’: This Basketball Court Is Saving Residents From Floods — Presented By City Cast Denver
When Denver looks for inspiration for the future, does it look to the Netherlands? That’s what designers and officials in New York City d...

Privatizing the Trash, Drones Delivering Pasta, and How to PorchFest
Denverites already pay for trash pick-up, but what if that money went to a private company instead of the city? The city’s waste services...


