The , acting on behalf of the , sued , executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, over the state’s new free, curbside recycling plan, which was approved in December and is expected to bring free recycling to more than 700,000 homes and businesses by 2035.

The distributors are asking a U.S. District Court judge in Denver for a preliminary injunction that would prevent Colorado from moving forward with the program while the case is litigated.

The recycling plan — known as the — will be funded by fees collected from the companies that create packaging for products such as soft drinks, egg cartons, soup cans and home-delivery boxes. Homeowners and local governments would not bear the cost of picking up and transporting recyclable materials to waste companies once the program is operational.

The first round of fees was due on June 1, and the first curbside recycling programs should be rolled out later this year or in early 2027.

The fees are established by the , which is made up of representatives from companies that create packaging, including Amazon, Coca-Cola, General Mills and The Campbell’s Company.

However, attorneys for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonprofit that often sues local, state and federal government over public policy and leans conservative, argued in the complaint that the Circular Action Alliance is controlled by industry giants that compete with smaller businesses to distribute products ranging from groceries to household goods.

The Producer Responsibility Program requires those small businesses to become dues-paying members of the Circular Action Alliance and to forfeit their rights to challenge the alliance’s decisions in court, the lawsuit notes.

Colorado’s law allows the Circular Action Alliance to prohibit companies from showing the recycling fees they must pay on bills so customers cannot see the actual cost of the program and who is paying for it, the lawsuit alleges. The recycling alliance also hides its methods for determining the fees, the lawsuit said.

The attorneys cited violations of the First and Fourteenth amendments as the basis for the lawsuit, and the distributors’ association is asking a judge to stop Colorado’s program.

A similar lawsuit was filed in March by the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association, another national trade group.

“The program, as currently structured and enforced by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, unlawfully forces many lubricant producers to pay fees to private organizations that are not accountable to the state government or to the companies required to participate,” a trade association news release said.

The lawsuit also criticized the fee structure, stating that there is no clear connection to the real cost of operating recycling programs in Colorado and no transparency over how they are calculated. The group is challenging a provision in Colorado’s law that bars companies from disclosing the costs of the program to their customers.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sent a statement Friday morning saying it does not comment on pending litigation, but spokeswoman Lauren Whitney added, “We remain committed to reducing waste, conserving natural resources and supporting a cleaner, healthier Colorado for everyone.”

The Circular Action Alliance manages similar recycling programs in five other states, including California, Oregon and Washington.

As Momo Dumplings, the pair specializes in a style of dumplings popular across Southeast Asia, and especially in Kathmandu, the mountainous capital of Nepal, where Mahima was born. They wrap, steam and sauté their momo in Indian curries, the recipes for which the elder Shrestha picked up while working in restaurants in London.

Even though the momo are only available on delivery apps or for pickup, though, Denver Post readers deemed them, by popular vote, to be the best dumplings in metro Denver last month during our annual food bracket challenge.

It was a nice win, but Mahima’s real goal is to move from the commercial kitchen to a full-service restaurant next year, she said.

Mahima, 31, didn’t meet her father until she was 12 — Madhab worked in London to raise money for Mahima and her family in Kathmandu — but she credits him for drawing her toward the restaurant industry.

“He gave me an identity to sell food,” she said.

But it would take a while for that to happen. After reuniting in Nepal, her family moved to California in 2012. “But the mountains, they were teasing me,” she said about Colorado, which draws a lot of Nepalese residents because of its similar climate.

A cousin serving in the U.S. Army beckoned them to the state, where he was stationed. “He told me, ‘Come down here. It feels so much like Nepal, you won’t even miss it.'”

After finishing high school, Mahima studied business and was hired by a leasing company. Her father returned to the kitchen, first at Little India Restaurant and Bar in Lakewood and then at Mehak India’s Aroma in Cherry Creek. But after the COVID-19 pandemic made life hard for restaurant workers, Mahima suggested that the two strike out on their own.

They opened Momo Dumplings inside the Aurora ghost kitchen in 2021.

Momo are immensely popular in Nepal, where they can be found everywhere. There is nostalgia to the image of washing down momo with a can of Coca-Cola, Mahima said.

Surendra Pokharel, who runs Mantra Cafe, a Nepalese and Indian restaurant in Denver, agreed with that assessment. The momo is so dependable, “it’s like a burger here in the U.S.,” Pokharel said.

The development of this special kind of dumpling came about because of the multiple cultures that met in Kathmandu, Pokharel continued. “When there was very good trade in Tibet and Nepal, people exchanged their culture, exchanged their food and language and everything.”

The varieties at Momo Dumpling are made using pre-packaged dumpling wraps (the type found at Asian supermarkets like H-Mart) and chicken, lamb and vegetable fillings the Shresthas prepare in advance.

In the center of the incense-cleansed room, Mahima and Madhab, with the assist of Mahima’s husband, Samir Shrestha, stuff and fold hundreds of momo by hand, capping each one with a gentle pinch and twist of the finger. They arrange them in neat rows on metal trays and store them in a freezer, ready to steam for the next catering or takeout order.

Tubs of garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander and a special “momo masala” on a shelf are used for the Indian curries and sauces that Madhab mixes with the momo once steamed. His recipes include a tomato-based tikka masala, a creamy korma made with cashews and coconut powder and spicy vindaloo.

Their pace is quick, the atmosphere breezy. They’ll sit for hours and talk as they fold, Mahima said. They’ll cater orders together and set up their stand at the Southlands Farmers Market in Aurora and the Parker Farmers Market. (They also supply momo to three restaurants they refused to name out of confidentiality.)

Earlier this month, the 65-year-old Madhab, who spoke Nepalese as he worked, underwent a major surgery. He took about a week off but was back in the kitchen to prep for two catering orders, Mahima said.

“I would not do anything without him,” she said. “Not even a step in this kitchen. I would shut it down tomorrow.”

That’s because she doesn’t want to lose out on any more time with him — time they weren’t afforded back when she was a child growing up mostly under the care of her grandmother, while Madhab was in London and her mom was away working.

She was wary of the restaurant industry and its trappings at first. But when her son was born, the ghost kitchen gave her and Samir the flexibility to be with him at home.

“For me, that was important to give to a child, at least for the first three years of his life,” she said.

It also helped them save up for the next big thing, to a location with more — any — visibility. There’s one potential unit on Havana Street, Mahima said, and another on Tower Road.

“There’s one in RiNo that’s catching my eye,” she said. She’s sought the support of municipal small-business programs in Denver and Aurora and hopes to relocate Momo Dumplings by next year.

Momo Dumplings is open for takeout, catering and delivery at the Aurora Eatery, 14200 E. Alameda Ave. #1039B, Aurora. Orders are made online at

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s this week approved a program that will create free statewide recycling, shifting the cost to companies that produce packaging and away from residents and local governments. It’s called the Producer Responsibility Program and is expected to begin its rollout in 2026.

The program will add recycling to an estimated 700,000 residences across Colorado, said Wolf Kray, who oversees recycling programs at the Department of Public Health and Environment. And it should eliminate recycling costs for those who already pay for curbside recycling in their cities.

“This will be a free recycling service statewide,” Kray said.

It will take several years to fully roll out the program across Colorado as cities and towns, along with trash haulers such as Waste Management, Republic Services and other companies, figure out the logistics.

“This isn’t a switch,” Kray said. “It’s more of a dial.”

The program will be run by , a nonprofit managed by 20 companies from the food and beverage, consumer goods and retail sectors that create and use packaging. The list of companies includes Amazon, Colgate-Palmolive, Mars Incorporated, the Coca-Cola Company and Walmart, according to the Circular Action Alliance’s website.

The alliance will decide how much companies should be charged for the waste they produce in Colorado through cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other containers, and then those fees will be used to reimburse companies that haul recyclable material from people’s homes to recycling facilities.

The recycling program does not erase the fees people pay to dispose of other household garbage.

Environmentalists applauded the new program, which they believe will divert millions of tons of waste from Colorado’s landfills each year and save consumers and local governments money.

“The purpose of this is to transform our current system where all residents have had to pay to get recycling service in order to do the right thing,” said Suzanne Jones, executive director of Eco-Cycle, a Boulder nonprofit that promotes recycling and runs a recycling center. “Right now, Colorado has a pretty lousy recycling and composting rate. So let’s provide recycling service to everyone in the state that is as convenient as their trash service.”

Studies have shown that Coloradans diverted about 16% of their waste from landfills over the last six years through recycling or composting, which is half the national average.

Diverting waste, especially paper products, will reduce the amount of harmful gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that are released from landfills. Those gases contribute to global warming and harm human health. Fewer greenhouse gases oozing into the atmosphere also would help the Front Range address its ground-level ozone problem.

Once the recycling program is fully running, it’s projected to keep 400,000 tons of waste out of the state’s landfills annually by 2035, Kray said. And that should reduce landfill emissions by 1.3 million metric tons each year — the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.

The Circular Action Alliance will be responsible for public education about proper recycling, so people are aware of how to separate their household waste. There will be a single list of acceptable items for recycling statewide to eliminate confusion about which plastics and other materials go in the bins, Kray said.

Every city has its own method of providing trash service.

In Denver, residents pay for trash pickup but not recycling or compost because the city wants to promote those services. The city of Aurora does not provide trash pickup as a city service, so residents choose from a handful of companies to pick up their garbage and decide whether or not they want to pay for recycling.

In Arvada, the city uses Republic Services to provide citywide trash and recycling pickup that homeowners pay for, but the city also allows residents to hire their own service for a small fee.

Cyndi Karvaski, a spokeswoman for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said it’s too early in the process to say how the new program will play out for the city’s residents. But the department looks forward to working with the state and the Circular Action Alliance.

All the different systems for waste disposal make it hard to sort out just how much Colorado homeowners ultimately will save on their garbage bills.

“The residents should see that savings in their bill,” Eco-Cycle’s Jones said. “We will be looking to make sure that happens.”

“The decision was tied to how Peak Innovation Park at the Colorado Springs Airport is shovel-ready, and that Colorado Springs offered the fast, business-friendly partnership the company was looking for,” said Colorado Springs Deputy Communications Officer Joe Hollmann in an email to The Post.

Swire Coca-Cola plans to break ground on the 620,000-square-foot facility in 2026. It will replace the current 90-year-old production plant in Denver.

This includes world-class energy and water efficiency performance, according to a news release by the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation.

“We’re excited to welcome 170 new jobs to Colorado Springs through Swire Coca-Cola USA’s expansion in the community,” said Gov. Jared Polis in the release.

“This new facility will help support the local economy, and we’re glad Swire Coca-Cola USA chose to expand their business in Colorado.”

Earlier this year, Swire canceled its plan to construct a 570,000-square-foot bottling plant at the northeast corner of Tower Road and Peña Boulevard near DIA for “unforeseen delays” and “ongoing timeline instability.”

However, The Post found that the project struggled with missed deadlines and communication issues and ultimately was scrapped after Xcel Energy failed to provide electricity to the site, according to city documents and a Denver City Council member.

The new plant will produce more than 230 beverage options across more than 60 brands, including sparkling soft drinks, waters, teas, juice drinks and sports beverages.

“Colorado Springs has been a great partner for our existing distribution facility, where we employ 170 people. The city offers a highly skilled workforce and a strong sense of community—all of which make it an ideal location for this strategic investment,” said Bryan Sink, senior vice president, supply chain at Swire Coca-Cola.

“At this facility we will pursue LEED Gold certification, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and being a responsible business within the community. This investment represents our long-term commitment to the region, supporting local jobs, enhancing our production capabilities, and ensuring we continue manufacturing our large portfolio of beverage brands right here in Colorado.”

Once operational, the Colorado Springs plant����ap employees will include production, maintenance, quality, logistics and management roles.

Each on-site job is expected to support two additional jobs in the local economy, benefiting suppliers, service providers and other regional businesses.

During construction alone, the project is expected to support approximately 1,190 construction and installation jobs, generating an estimated $103 million in direct labor income for workers and families in El Paso County.

The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC worked with numerous partners throughout the Pikes Peak region to offer an incentive package based on the performance of Swire Coca-Cola, which was referred to as Project Manitou during the review process.

“Colorado Springs is proud to welcome Swire Coca-Cola USA to Peak Innovation Park. This new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is a vote of confidence in our city’s ability to attract global brands. Through our partnership with Urban Frontier and our Economic Development team, we provide businesses the support, speed, and clarity they need to succeed,” Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said.

Headquartered in Utah, Swire Coca-Cola USA manufactures, distributes and sells Coca-Cola and other beverage brands in 13 states across the American West.

In Colorado, the company employs 1,300 people, according to the news release.

It will consolidate and modernize its production operations into the new bottling facility at ,.

This is a developing story and may be updated. 

The company, which relocated its corporate headquarters from Denver to Chicago in 2019, continues to employ close to 1,500 workers at its Golden factory, which remains the nation’s largest single-site brewery. Its ties to the state started in 1872, when German immigrant Adolph Coors moved to Colorado from Illinois.

“Rahul has strong institutional knowledge given his time with the company and more importantly, he is eager to bring new thinking with a focus on future growth. The entire Board is confident that Rahul’s leadership will drive long-term results for Molson Coors,” Chairman David Coors said in a statement.

Goyal, who started at Coors Brewing 24 years ago and lists the Denver Broncos as his favorite football team, has worked as chief information officer for Molson Coors UK and chief financial officer for Molson Coors India. Recently, he has headed up efforts to boost the sales of non-alcoholic and non-beer beverages at the company.

He spearheaded the company’s “Beyond Beer” initiatives that included partnerships with Fever Tree, ZOA Energy, Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Canned Cocktails. He also led an initiative with The Coca-Cola Company to produce and distribute a seltzer line of Topo Chico.

Goyal will take over as CEO effective Oct. 1. Hattersley, who rose through the ranks of SAB and Miller Brewing, announced his plans to retire in April and will stay on as an advisor through the end of the year.

“I’m ready to take on both the opportunities and the challenges ahead of us, knowing that we have the brands, the people, and the passion to deliver on our ambitions,” Goyal said in the release. “I recognize that we have a lot of work to do, and in the coming months, I will share more on my vision for how we will drive growth and carry the legacy of this great company forward to reach new heights.”

Research analysts at Needham & Co., an asset manager and boutique investment bank, called Goyal a “safe hiring decision” who should provide a younger perspective and approach.

But they don’t expect the appointment to drive the company’s stock price higher until Goyal provides investors with more clarity on his “beyond beer” approach and a sense of how aggressively he would shift the company away from premium light beers.

A reported drinking alcohol, the lowest share since polling on that topic started in 1939. A majority of Americans now consider even moderate alcohol consumption bad for one’s health. Younger adults are more likely to state that they don’t drink.

Shares of Molson Coors, which trades under the ticker TAP, were around $47 when the company left Denver for Chicago. They closed at $45.09 on Monday. Although the company hasn’t seen its stock price appreciate, it has paid out a consistent dividend and offered a better return than many of its peers in a difficult environment.

For decades, packaging and beverage companies have pulled off one of the most cunning blame-shifts in modern American life. They convinced us that the garbage problem is about our bad habits, our laziness, or our failure to recycle.

Who can remember the famous “Crying Indian” ad from the 1970s? That wasn’t made by environmentalists. It was created and paid for by the beverage and packaging industry. The message was simple: if bottles are floating in creeks or scattered across trails, blame yourself — not the companies churning out billions of single-use containers.

And the ploy worked. For fifty years, we’ve dutifully sorted bottles into blue bins, internalizing guilt, while corporations kept cashing in. The result? They pocket profits, and taxpayers get stuck with the cleanup bill.

At least some institutions are beginning to push back. The University of Colorado recently announced at all home football games and Pepsi has agreed to only sell aluminium and glass products on campus. That����ap a small but powerful step–showing leadership while the corporate giants keep dragging their feet

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: recycling alone cannot fix this problem. Fewer than 10% of plastics ever get recycled. Aluminum cans fare better, but even then, U.S. cans contain only about 40% to 50% recycled content. Millions still wind up in Colorado landfills each year — proof that the system is more illusion than solution. It����ap like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Meanwhile, cities like Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs spend millions every year on waste collection and recycling. Who pays? Not Coca-Cola. Not Pepsi. You do — through taxes, garbage fees, and sometimes bottle deposits. We pay once at the store, again when municipalities clean up, and sometimes a third time through bottle deposits.

Imagine allowing a chemical plant to dump sludge in a river and then telling residents to organize Saturday morning cleanups. Absurd? Yes. But that����ap exactly how the packaging industry operates — leaving the public to mop up after their mess.

To their credit, Colorado lawmakers recognized this reality in 2022 by passing House Bill 1355, the state’s Producer Responsibility for Recycling Packaging law. Once fully implemented, companies selling packaging and paper products will be required to pay into a statewide system that funds collection and recycling. It����ap a forward-thinking step that puts responsibility where it belongs — on the producers, not the public.

But let����ap not kid ourselves. Passing the law was the easy part. The real challenge lies ahead: resisting the inevitable push by corporations to water it down. Lobbyists are already circling, looking for loopholes, delays, and exemptions. If Colorado is serious about cleaner trails, reduced landfill waste, and fairer costs for taxpayers, it will need to enforce this law with real teeth.

And remember — fewer than 20% of U.S. states have adopted anything like it. Colorado is ahead of the curve, but national action is lagging badly.

Let����ap call the current system what it really is: a subsidy. Every bottle or can that ends up in a landfill represents a hidden taxpayer handout to multinational corporations that choose the cheapest packaging possible and offload the costs onto the public.

Why should Colorado families pay higher waste fees so that beverage giants can shave pennies off production? Why should local governments spend countless hours hauling trash off trails instead of investing in habitat restoration or recreation access?

This is backward economics. The people least responsible for creating the waste are the ones paying the price.

And this issue isn’t only about dollars and cents. Plastics are fossil fuels in disguise — petrochemicals molded into bottles, bags, and straws. Their production fuels greenhouse gas emissions. Their breakdown releases microplastics into rivers, lakes, wildlife, and, yes, even human bloodstreams.

If producers were forced to shoulder cleanup costs, they’d finally have an incentive to use recycled content, eliminate unnecessary packaging, and invest in reusable alternatives. Colorado’s environment would reap the benefits–from the Arkansas and Colorado rivers to alpine lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Industry lobbyists warn that producer-responsibility laws will raise prices. But let����ap be clear: consumers already pay. We just do it through hidden taxes, fees, and cleanups. A few pennies more per bottle, openly dedicated to recycling and waste reduction, is far fairer than the billions we silently shell out today.

And if those higher costs spur companies to redesign packaging so it����ap reusable or genuinely recyclable? Even better. That����ap how a free market is supposed to operate–rewarding innovation while discouraging waste.

Ultimately, this debate is about more than bottles and cans. It����ap about what kind of values we want to live by. Do we keep letting corporations profit while offloading cleanup costs onto taxpayers? Or do we demand accountability–aligning responsibility with the mess that����ap made?

It����ap time to stop blaming the public. Stop subsidizing corporate waste. And start applying the most basic rule every parent teaches their kids:

If you make the mess, you clean it up.

Jim Martin is a former University of Colorado regent. He can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com.

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This setback adds to mounting frustrations from developers about Xcel’s ability to deliver power to proposed metro area projects, although the utility insists that wasn’t the case with the bottling plant.

City Council member Stacie Gilmore, who represents Denver’s Far Northeast District 11, along with several other members of the council, a $270.7 million, 75-year ground lease agreement with Utah-based manufacturer and distributor in April 2023.

Gilmore said Swire planned to automate the plant and put 250 trucks on the road to transport their products.

Last month Swire canceled its plan to construct a 570,000-square-foot bottling plant at the northeast corner of Tower Road and Peña Boulevard near DIA for “unforeseen delays” and “ongoing timeline instability.”

“Xcel Energy and Denver International Airport could not figure out a time-efficient manner to get Coca-Cola power to build out there, and then they all started pointing fingers at each other,” Gilmore said.

She said as development near the DIA has evolved over the past few years, the , adopted in 2019, was adjusted specifically so that Pepsi Cola could bring its international headquarters there.

In 2022, City Council adopted an amendment to the plan, focusing on revising land uses and mobility in a small part of the DIA statistical area encompassed by Tower Road, Himalaya Road and 72nd and 70th streets.

“It’s a big deal, and I take my vote very seriously. That’s like my solemn vow to the community that what I’m getting behind is going to be good for you, she said.

“The only thing I can tell them at this point is Xcel Energy and Denver International Airport, and ultimately — the city and county — couldn’t get it worked out for a multi-billion dollar international corporation to locate in Denver.”

Swire spokesperson Allison Barrett told The Post last month that even though they are no longer moving forward with the originally proposed site for the plant, the company still intends to make a substantial regional investment in a new production facility, at a different location. But that has yet to be revealed.

Construction at the facility was expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, with a planned grand opening in 2027, according to the project����ap website. Swire had initially planned to create 200 jobs at the plant.

Swire board raises concerns

A legal notice of termination sent by Swire CEO Andrea Kendell to DIA’s CEO Phillip Washington on July 16, obtained through a public records request, said the company ended the lease because “uncertainty regarding cost and timing of critical project infrastructure has delayed and prevented Swire from being able to seek the outstanding approvals in good faith.”

The notice continued that it was “evident” that the outstanding approvals would not be available in the extended development approval period and would not align with Swire’s strategic objectives and immediate growth needs.

An April 2 letter from Washington to Xcel president Robert Kenney said, “Swire is concerned that Xcel has not met verbal commitments regarding the service application design process, and that Xcel’s inability to confirm when temporary and permanent power will be available to their site is affecting the feasibility of their project.”

Swire’s service application was submitted on Feb. 29, 2024.

Xcel estimated the design and approval process would take 17 to 20 weeks, but was then revised to Dec. 2, 2024, and then again to the first quarter of this year.

“With uncertainty as to when power can be delivered to the site, Swire’s board is questioning approval of the project,” Washington added.

Washington estimated the loss of the project could cost DIA $252 million in lease revenue.

Nine days later, Kenney responded and said multiple meetings were held to guide Swire throughout the process.

Swire sent the final required documents in late September 2024, and in November Xcel expedited an ongoing capacity check to help finalize the project����ap design and cost estimates.

Given the complexity of installing a new feeder spanning over 5 miles, along with associated easement and permitting challenges, Xcel decided to prioritize securing the right-of-way first.

“This approach allowed us to identify the most viable route and avoid potential delays that could require a complete redesign,” Kenney wrote.

“In other words, we deviated from our normal procedures to keep this project on track.”

He wrote much of the land required for easements is undeveloped and unplotted, which creates uncertainty around timing and costs.

Kenney added Xcel had invested more than $500,000 in the project and pre-ordered equipment, all ahead of receiving any signed agreements or funding from Swire.

“This level of financial risk is atypical for us. In other words, we deviated from our normal procedures to keep this project on track,” he wrote.

When The Post reached out to DIA regarding the Swire deal, a spokesperson said the airport was not a party to the agreement between Xcel and Swire.

“As landlord, DEN worked to ensure the needs of our tenant were being met and the information required by Xcel was being provided,” a DIA spokesperson wrote in an email to The Post.

“DEN also negotiated with Swire Coca Cola on participating in the cost of infrastructure and committed to funding a large portion of the utility infrastructure required by the tenant.”

To reduce risk in the future on developing airport land, the spokesperson said DIA plans to enlist private sector resources to help build infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines, electrical, roads and fiber optic cable.

“Xcel Energy long maintained and assured Swire CC that we could meet their energy needs,” said Xcel spokesperson Michelle Aguayo.

Aguayo said Xcel is committed to the economic development of Colorado and that any large project requires collaboration and communication from both the developing business, government agencies and those providing vital services.

“Incomplete or inaccurate information delays the process, and in this case, we were left waiting for information at key junctures throughout this process,” she said.

“We absolutely would have been able to meet Swire CC’s temporary power timeframe and deviated from our procedures and processes to keep this project moving forward, with the anticipation of fully serving Swire CC’s energy needs.”

‘We don’t have the ability to go elsewhere’

Colorado-based real estate developer redT Homes has also recently with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, calling for an investigation into Xcel Energy’s handling of new residential service requests.

The complaint details nearly 5,000 days of cumulative project delays and more than $18 million in direct losses due to what redT calls “chronic inefficiencies” and “internal errors” at Xcel.

“After years of trying to resolve these issues directly with Xcel, including meetings with their executive leadership, we are left with no choice but to seek state intervention,” said Nathan Adams, redT’s CEO, in a news release last month.

Adams said two of his projects, a 19-unit at 2650 S. Delaware St. in Denver and a 15-unit on the 1600 block of Lafayette, have been negatively affected by Xcel servicing delays.

He said they went through loan extensions and were placed into foreclosure on both properties before they got power.

“They ruined those two projects. They damn near put us out of business.”

Adams said they refinanced the 15-unit out of foreclosure, and while he said they will complete the 19-unit project, the ongoing challenges are causing “some grief.”

Because of this situation, redT Homes laid off 65% of its staff in early July.

“A lot of people think developers are an endless source of capital, and that’s just not factual,” he said.

More than 10 developers, including representatives from Denver Construction Management, Weins Development Group, Prisma International and SC&P LLC, are backing redT Homes.

Executives from these companies have submitted letters in support of redT Homes, urging the PUC to take formal action to address service delays caused by Xcel.

“Like redT, we too have experienced extended delays, miscommunication, and design changes from Xcel Energy that have negatively affected our project schedules, financial projections, and delivery timelines,” several letters stated.

The issue also came up during PUC hearings this week on Xcel’s plan for providing power to customers in the future as coal plants are phased out and new data centers are expected to take a considerable about of electricity out of the grid.

“There’s already a strain on being able to develop. Projects have been delayed” waiting for electricity or natural gas service, said Chris Fellows, a developer and member of the East Metro Area Business Coalition, during the hearings.

Adams said he would like the PUC to consider penalties to the utility if deadlines for power and gas installations are missed.

“It’s the only way to really, truly get them to be accountable, because they don’t have to worry about losing business to somebody else,” Adams said.

“We don’t have the ability to go elsewhere. They have a monopoly.”

“Unforeseen delays and ongoing timeline instability have severely impacted the viability and delivery of the project. As such, we will no longer pursue the originally proposed location for the development of a new production plant,” a company representative said in an emailed statement to The Post.

The company added that it still plans to make a significant regional investment in a new production facility at a different location, which is in the process of being identified.

The Denver City Council a $270.7 million, 75-year ground lease agreement with Swire in April 2023.

Construction at the Swire Coca-Cola facility was expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, with a planned grand opening in 2027, according to the project����ap website.

“We are grateful to the individuals and organizations who came together to support the development of our new facility. We remain committed to Denver and the local community,” the company said.

“We employ 530 people at our distribution center in Central Park. We also support numerous local organizations across Denver including the Far Northeast and will continue to do so.”

Swire Coca-Cola produces, sells and distributes Coca-Cola and other beverage brands in 13 states across the American West, according to its project website.

The company employs 7,400 people, serving almost 30 million consumers between the Mexican and Canadian borders and from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Plains.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Today I will become an Olympian

I am in control of my body, it does what I tell it

There is nothing I can’t do.

“I just really feel like when you write something down, it’s way more likely to happen,” Hall, the Greenwood Village native, first-time Olympian and the told me last week. “It’s almost like telling my brain, ‘This is what we’re doing.’

“And so (where) I think that ties into journaling, and especially vision boards, it’s like I’m putting up things that I want to be. Even if I’m not there yet.”

Pretty soon, she’ll be everywhere. The Summer Games are driven by superstars who move merch and narratives that move your soul.

Colorado’s finest could be NBC’s biggest summer hit since Hall’s 23. She can nail the 100-meter hurdles in about 12.7 seconds. She can toss a javelin 150 feet. She can play the guitar and piano.

Whenever the fates threw a curve, Hall swung for the fences. She underwent knee surgery in Vail back in January. She rehabbed and rallied to win the heptathlon at the Olympic trials in June.

One of her youth soccer coaches was ex-Broncos great John Lynch. Her dad, former Michigan quarterback and multi-sport standout David Hall, used to hang with Jim Harbaugh. Her corporate partners include heavy-hitters such as Coca-Cola and

At a pentathlon last year in Austria, Anna scored 6,988 points. Only four other women in the history of the sport have ever bettered that total. The only American to do so was the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee — who’s now a mentor and friend.

“Tony Wells used to say, ‘When the real deal shows up at the door, don’t mess it up,'” chuckled Chuck Dugue, a Denver track icon who was Hall’s club coach when she was a teen. “And (Anna) was the real deal.”

•�Ģ�Ģ

This is my event, my title, my spot, I am going to take it

I will fight for every hundredth, inch, point

I have done everything I could possibly do to get here, now it is time to have fun. This is the easy part.

The journals serve as both sanctum and dictum, an ink parade of affirmations, reminders, Bible verses, goals and mini-pep talks. Hall’s been jotting it all down for 15 years or so now, a habit she copped from one of her older sisters’ track coaches. If the medals are in the margins, the keepers are in all-caps:

ENJOY THESE MOMENTS

1. EVENT. AT. A. TIME.

I’M STILL HERE

PROVE THEM WRONG

“I don’t know really where I got it, I guess,” Hall said, “but from even the beginning of high school, I’d always just write down whatever my goals were for that year and whatever sport I was playing.”

While doing a little home inventory recently, Dad found one of Anna’s first attempts at turning words into deeds. On a 3-inch-by-5-inch card, an 8-year-old Hall had scribbled her high-jump goal for that track season.

“And I think it was a foot higher,” David laughed, “than it reasonably should have been.”

Hey, shoot for the moon, you might land on a star.

“I still have a vision board in my bathroom right now,” Anna said. “I’m just very much like if there’s something I want to do, I write it down. And I want to see it every day.”

The days of rehab to start the year? Long. A few got dark. Patience, by her own admission, has never been one of Hall’s strong suits. Every time the knee buckled, her heart sank.

“There were definitely a lot of times with jumps and re-learning to long jump and high jump where I just wouldn’t take off,” Hall recalled. “So I just went through, or kind of just flopped — bailed mid-jump into the high-jump mat. So, yeah, that was another mental battle that was just kind of hard to (tackle) and very humbling — almost to be like, ‘I used to be really good at this. And now I’m out of practice and I can’t even convince myself to take off the ground.'”

Joyner-Jersey helped put some wind beneath Hall’s wings again, calling regularly to offer advice and assurance. She even made a point to fly out to Oregon last month to watch Anna rock the trials.

“It was like, ‘OK, can I get through the warm-up? Can I try this hurdle drill?’ And so it was like every single thing I was doing all day was like I was at war,” Hall recalled.

“I mean, it was definitely a difficult time. I think just fighting the mental battles, every single day, just wore on me. I was exhausted every single time I went home. Every day felt like a marathon. And then it was like, ‘Wake up and do it again tomorrow.’ It just kind of felt like there was no end in sight. But luckily I have really great people around me that I was able to lean on.”

•�Ģ�Ģ

I can, I will, I must

I can, I will, I must

I am ready, my knee is ready, go fly!

About three years ago, after moving to Florida, Hall decided to have a few peaks and the area code “303” tattooed above her left foot.

“Just because I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do something to pay homage to my Denver roots,'” Anna explained. “Yeah, it’s just a reminder, I guess — where I’m from, where I grew up. Because Denver always has a special place in my heart.”

The mountains on the ankle are a memento. Of home. Of the journey and the climb. Of the loved ones who never wavered, never doubted, even after Hall had accidentally broke a bone in her foot during the 2021 trials.

“One or two days after the surgery, they found her on the rowing machine, trying to figure out how to row with her good leg,” recounted Brian Kula, Anna’s old track coach at Valor High. “That’s just who she is.”

Faster than a mountain stream, sure as a Flatirons sunset. Colorado tough. Colorado proud.

Colorado’s recycling expansion was formalized this month after the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee approved a plan to be funded by fees charged to the companies that use boxes, plastic containers and shrink wrap to sell their products.

About 1 million households statewide now have access to curbside recycling, said Henry Stiles, an advocate with . Through the expansion, curbside recycling programs — collecting paper, cardboard and plastic bottles, jugs and other containers — will be available to another 700,000 households by 2035.

Under state law, the companies will not be allowed to increase prices or add special fees at checkout to cover the program’s cost.

“It will completely transform our waste management system,” Stiles said. “Colorado has some of the worst recycling in the country.”

The state has pitched the new recycling program as free to all Colorado residents. Money collected through the fees paid by companies will be doled out to various public and private waste haulers, which operate recycling programs. But it’s not yet clear how those savings will trickle down to households.

Environmental groups say municipalities and residents will save millions annually. Denver, which does not directly charge residents for recycling, should receive $16.3 million by 2035 to offset its expenses, Environment Colorado and , a nonprofit focused on achieving zero waste, reported in a news release.

Studies have shown that Coloradans diverted about 16% of their waste from landfills over the last six years through recycling or composting. That is half the national average.

The new recycling plan, formally called a by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, saves local governments money because they will not have to foot the bill for a recycling program for their citizens, according to a news release from the health agency.

The program will create a standardized list of materials that will be recycled, according to the health department. The agency estimated that statewide recycling rates for paper and packaging will increase to 58% from 25% by 2035.

The program will be run by , a nonprofit managed by 20 companies from the food and beverage, consumer goods and retail sectors that create and use packaging. The list of companies includes Amazon, Colgate-Palmolive, Mars Incorporated, the Coca-Cola Company and Walmart, according to the Circular Action Alliance’s website.

California and Maryland also use the alliance to run similar programs.

The program is a product of legislation that was approved in 2022.

Environment Colorado and Eco-Cycle estimate the expanded recycling program will have multiple benefits:

• Colorado will recycle 410,000 tons of additional material for a total of 720,000 tons annually by 2035
• Colorado will add 7,900 recycling-related jobs by 2035
• Greenhouse gas emission reductions will be the equivalent of removing 278,000 cars from the road

The new fees associated with excessive packaging also should serve as an incentive for corporations to reduce what they use to package and deliver their products, Stiles said.

“The fee sends a signal to the producer to not use so much packaging,” he said. “We are hopeful at Environment Colorado that we will see a huge reduction in packaging waste in our state.”

Colorado’s leaders have been trying for several years to reduce or eliminate waste from landfills.

On Jan. 1, Colorado retail stores stopped using plastic bags after the legislature approved a ban in 2021. And restaurants were required this year to stop using foam take-out boxes and cups.

But there have been setbacks, too.

Last year, Colorado’s largest recycler of organic materials stopped accepting items such as compostable food containers because of contamination from public collection programs. It now only accepts food waste and yard trimmings, while pizza boxes, take-out containers and utensils go to landfills.

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