¿¿QUIÉN SUFRE EL COSTO??

The report details how North Denver serves as a critical hub for energy, goods production, and transport for the wider region while its residents bear the cumulative health and environmental costs. It identifies widespread EPA violations among local facilities and highlights significant data gaps that hinder community oversight.

• North Denver's land use is dominated by industrial zoning, with an estimated 2,000 to 8,000 businesses operating in the 80216 zip code alone, leading to a severe lack of quality green spaces and tree cover compared to surrounding areas.
• A 2022 audit of EPA data revealed 183 facilities in North Denver with at least one documented violation in the last three years, with 94 facilities having current violations; the Clean Water Act (CWA) was the most frequently violated regulation.
• The Suncor Energy refinery is a major source of pollution, emitting toxic chemicals including benzene and lead, and contributing up to 47% of PFAS detected in Sand Creek; it has a history of recurrent EPA violations and paid a $9 million settlement in 2020.
• The Cherokee generating station is one of Colorado's most polluting gas plants, with nearby residents experiencing higher rates of cancer, asthma, diabetes, and hypertension than the Denver metropolitan average.
• North Denver is a high-volume transport hub where approximately 460,000 vehicles daily pass through the I-70/I-25 intersection known as "La ratonera," exposing local schools like Swansea Elementary and Garden Place Elementary to high levels of PM2.5 emissions.
• Freight rail data is largely inaccessible to the public due to federal law, which classifies cargo train information for areas smaller than the state level as private, preventing communities from knowing the volume or type of cargo passing through their neighborhoods.
• Waste management facilities in North Denver and Commerce City, including the Robert W. Hite wastewater treatment plant, provide services for approximately 2 million people in the Denver metro area while causing odors and water pollution for local residents.
• The report identifies a systemic "data justice" gap, noting that EPA enforcement often relies on industry self-reporting, which may underreport violations; for example, it is estimated that less than 15% of significant Clean Air Act violations are reported to the EPA.

APA

GreenLatinos (2022). ¿¿QUIÉN SUFRE EL COSTO?? https://www.greenlatinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/N-Denver-Report_Spanish_Online_workinghyperlinks.pdf

Chicago

GreenLatinos. ¿¿QUIÉN SUFRE EL COSTO?? 2022. https://www.greenlatinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/N-Denver-Report_Spanish_Online_workinghyperlinks.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenLatinos |title=¿¿QUIÉN SUFRE EL COSTO?? |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/N-Denver-Report_Spanish_Online_workinghyperlinks.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenlatinos2022quin, author = {{GreenLatinos}}, title = {{¿¿QUIÉN SUFRE EL COSTO??}}, institution = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/N-Denver-Report_Spanish_Online_workinghyperlinks.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }