Forty-six gas stations in 11 Colorado counties received diesel fuel instead of unleaded regular gasoline last week, according to a list Sinclair provided to the state a week after the error.
Gas stations across the Front Range, from as far north as Wellington in Larimer County to Colorado Springs in the south, received contaminated fuel, according to the list. Retailers include Costco, King Soopers, Safeway, Murphy Express and smaller stations.
Here’s a full list of the locations:
All fuel has been replaced, state officials said.
As of Wednesday, more than 600 drivers have filed complaints with the state after experiencing engine issues and complaints are still coming in, Cher Haavind, deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, said during a Wednesday morning call with reporters.
The state is urging consumers who were impacted to contact the gas station where they purchased the fuel to start a claims process, though some smaller retail locations may be unaware of the contamination or unclear about the steps they must take after receiving a customer complaint, Haavind said.
“That’s our priority within the division right now is making sure that those smaller owners are aware they do have an obligation to receive the complaint and that is what triggers our team to work with that owner on ensuring those consumers are made whole,” she said.
The state is not involved in the reimbursements, but consumers should bring receipts to the point of sale to start the process. Sinclair will ultimately pay for the repairs, said Zach Hope, petroleum program manager for the Division of Oil and Public Safety.
Corinn Smith, a spokesperson for Sinclair, said Tuesday evening that the oil company had “provided a thoroughly vetted list of affected retail locations” where a worker distributed diesel fuel from a terminal in Henderson between the afternoon of Jan. 7 and the morning of Jan 8.
“A thorough review is underway and we are taking appropriate steps to prevent this from happening again,” Smith said via email.
Anyone who received gas during that period and saw sputtering, stalling or other engine issues shortly after should contact the state by filling a form online. Forms are available in Spanish and English.
“It is very important that consumers do report that to us,” Haavind said. “That is our master record that we are using to make contact with the owners.”
The division is reviewing the state’s notification process to alert consumers, in case of any future problems with gas or diesel, “long before it hits the pumps and hits the consumers,” she said.
There is no regulatory process that requires oil companies to notify the state of contamination within a specific timeframe, Hope said.
“Statutory changes obviously take legislation, but I think we’ll be having those conversations because I think it would be reasonable,” Hope said.
The state is still reviewing its options to impose fines. The results of the investigation will inform the fine amounts.
Sinclair told the state that its investigation could take up to three weeks, he said.
Corrections:
This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 to remove email addresses that did not correspond to the listed gas station locations.
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
