Work

‘You fine an industry, then return the funding to them’: State‐facilitated corporate crime and Colorado's Suncor Oil Refinery

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In Commerce City, Colorado, residents contend with multiple environmental hazards and live in the most polluted zip code in the US. Perhaps no source of environmental harm is more visible than the imposing, aging Suncor Oil Refinery. The refinery dominates entire city blocks and residents' daily lives. Since 2005, the refinery has been cited for over nearly 60 environmental and safety violations. Despite this, it continues operating with minor penalties, exemplifying how the state's neoliberalized regulatory approaches prioritize corporate profit over social–environmental protections. We examine how the Suncor Oil Refinery creates harmful environmental injustices, representing a significant instance of state‐facilitated corporate crime, as the state leaves the industry to self‐regulate and violate (or operate without) permits. Bridging green criminology and environmental justice literatures, our findings emphasize the importance of recognizing state‐facilitated corporate crime as a key driver of environmental injustice. Drawing on interviews with 53 community members, educators, and elected officials, this study provides firsthand accounts of the detrimental effects of the refinery's operations on nearby residents and documents their lived experiences of environmental injustice. Our findings illustrate harmful impacts of state‐facilitated corporate crime and contribute to scant research examining people's experiences of harm from living or working near oil refineries.

Source: Sociological Forum

DOI: 10.1111/socf.13039

Authors: Stephanie A. Malin, India Luxton, Ramona Beltrán, Emilia Ravetta, Kristina Hulama

Institutions: Colorado State University, Syracuse University, University of Denver

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Justice and Health Disparities

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,090