Commerce City and the North Denver communities of Globeville-Elyria-Swansea deserve Colorado’s first Environmental Equity and Cumulative Impact Analysis. Here’s how you can help make it happen.
For decades, our community has borne more than its fair share of environmental burdens. From refinery emissions to industrial pollution, from highway traffic to cumulative health impacts, Commerce City, Globeville-Elyria-Swansea, and North Denver have been on the front lines of environmental injustice in Colorado.
Now, we have a historic opportunity to change that trajectory.
What’s at Stake
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is preparing to select one community from 11 finalists for the state’s first-ever Environmental Equity and Cumulative Impact Analysis (EECIA). Our community—North Denver/Globeville-Elyria-Swansea/Commerce City—is one of those finalists.
This isn’t just another study. This analysis would:
- Document the reality we live every day: A comprehensive, scientific assessment of how pollution, environmental hazards, and social factors combine to impact our health
- Give us data-driven tools: Information that can inform better decisions on permits, land use, and environmental regulations
- Amplify community voices: A process that centers the experiences of those most affected
- Create a roadmap for change: Findings that state and local agencies can use to make more equitable decisions
Why Commerce City Must Be Chosen
Our area didn’t end up as a finalist by accident. We meet every criterion for a community that needs this analysis:
Environmental Burden: We host major industrial facilities including the Suncor oil refinery, face persistent air quality challenges, and experience cumulative impacts from multiple pollution sources.
Community Impact: Our neighborhoods include significant populations of communities of color and working-class families who have been disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.
Readiness: Our community has a long history of environmental advocacy and organizing. We’re ready to engage fully in this process.
Historic Need: For too long, our community has called for recognition of the environmental justice issues we face. This analysis would finally provide the comprehensive assessment we’ve been asking for.
How You Can Help
The selection committee will evaluate finalist applications based on four criteria: environmental risk, readiness to engage, leadership commitment, and community interest. We can demonstrate overwhelming community interest by flooding CDPHE with messages of support.
Here’s what you can do right now:
- Send an email using our template (below) to cdphe_ej@state.co.us with the subject line “Support Commerce City/GES/North Denver for EECIA”
- Contact CDPHE leadership:
- Email Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan through cdphe_ej@state.co.us
- Contact the Environmental Justice Advisory Board at cdphe_ej@state.co.us with “EJAB” in the subject line
- Reach out to elected officials:
- Contact Governor Polis’s office to express support
- Call or email your state legislators
- Spread the word:
- Share this campaign with neighbors, community organizations, and local groups
- Post on social media using #CommerceCity #EnvironmentalJustice #ColoradoEJ
- Talk to friends and family about why this matters
The Window Is Now
CDPHE will be reviewing finalist applications and making their selection in the coming months. The time to show our community’s interest and commitment is right now.
This analysis represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to document what we already know: our community has faced disproportionate environmental burdens for too long, and it’s time for that to change.
But we can’t win this on our own. CDPHE needs to hear from you—from residents, business owners, community leaders, advocates, and anyone who believes in environmental justice.
A Community-Driven Future
If selected, Commerce City/GES/North Denver will work alongside CDPHE and expert contractors to conduct this analysis over 12-18 months. The process will include:
- Community working groups to guide the analysis
- Collection of environmental and health data
- Opportunities for community members to share their lived experiences
- Public sharing of findings
- Recommendations for state and local agencies
Most importantly, this would be our analysis—driven by community voices, informed by community experiences, and designed to serve community needs.
Make Your Voice Heard
Don’t wait. Send your email today. Call your legislators. Talk to your neighbors. Show CDPHE that our community is ready, willing, and deserving of this analysis.
Commerce City, Globeville-Elyria-Swansea, and North Denver have waited long enough for environmental justice. Let’s make sure we’re chosen for Colorado’s first Environmental Equity and Cumulative Impact Analysis.
The future of environmental justice in our community depends on action today.
EMAIL TEMPLATE FOR SUPPORTERS
Subject: Support Commerce City/GES/North Denver for Environmental Equity Analysis
Dear Office of Environmental Justice Selection Committee,
I am writing to urge CDPHE to select the North Denver/Globeville-Elyria-Swansea/Commerce City area as the location for Colorado’s first Environmental Equity and Cumulative Impact Analysis.
Our community has faced decades of disproportionate environmental burdens, including:
- Proximity to the Suncor oil refinery and related air quality concerns
- Multiple industrial facilities and highways creating cumulative pollution impacts
- Historic underinvestment in environmental health infrastructure
- A community that has long advocated for environmental justice
This analysis would provide the comprehensive, science-based assessment our community needs to:
- Document the full scope of environmental health impacts we face
- Inform better decision-making on permits, regulations, and policies
- Support meaningful improvements to air quality, water quality, and community health
- Demonstrate Colorado’s commitment to environmental justice where it’s needed most
The North Denver/GES/Commerce City area represents exactly the kind of disproportionately impacted community this analysis was designed to serve. Our community is ready, willing, and organized to participate fully in this process.
I strongly encourage you to select our community for this groundbreaking analysis.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]