Colo. governor blocks Army expansion on ranchland
DENVER (AP) — The Army's plan to expand a southeast Colorado training site is facing another obstacle now that Gov. Bill Ritter has signed a measure barring the use of state land for the project that is opposed by ranchers.
Ritter approved legislation Tuesday that prevents the state from selling or leasing land to the Army to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver site. About 20 percent of the land the Army wants for the site is state-owned.
The Army first announced its plans more than three years ago, saying it needed to expand the 370-square-mile site to about 525 square miles to accommodate new weapons, tactics and soldiers. But neighboring ranchers united to fight the effort, picking up support from state lawmakers and members of Congress.
They also filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Army of not carefully considering the environmental impact of the expansion on the arid, short-grass prairie landscape. Judge Richard Matsch is scheduled to hear arguments in that case in Denver on Wednesday.
Ritter said the bill was not anti-military, as Colorado's two Republican congressmen suggested. He said it doesn't resolve the issue but will provide farmers and ranchers with a safety net while negotiations continue with the Army.
"This legislation says to landowners that their state government is listening. It also reaffirms our commitment to work with all stakeholders to find a mutually agreeable path forward, a path that protects private property rights and allows the military to effectively train this nation's fighting force," Ritter said.
What this Governor is really saying is that he wants your vote. The reality is that the United States can acquire the property if the public need is there to expand the facility. What the State of Colorado has to say would be irrelevant because the Constitutional delegation for the military needs of the United States of America will prevail over local desires!
