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U.S. House voted to block Pinon Canyon expansion!!

Julie

Well-known member
Voting down any study or expansion of southeast Colorado's Pinon Canyon / Fort Carson is very good news, though vigilance remains vital to property rights. The issue -- the planned acquisition / seizure of a vast reach of privately owned property also known as ranchland -- is just "taking a nap." It will awaken eventually. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson. The "buffers" that are "needed" as a hinge against "development" are a farce; expanding military facilities brings with it development. The custom and culture of the southeast quarter of Colorado is ranching, which does not create such a "need," because it does not create "development."



June 16, 2007
By Tom Roeder [email protected] or 719-636-0240
The Colorado Springs Gazette
http://www.gazette.com


The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to block expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site on Friday, with 383 lawmakers saying the Army cannot spend money to even study adding 450 square miles to the training area.

The rebuke for Fort Carson planners came after two Colorado Congress members offered the expansion-stopping measure as an amendment to a military construction spending bill.

Reps. Marilyn Musgrave and John Salazar made impassioned speeches accusing the Army of plotting to seize large tracts of southeast Colorado, which they said could destroy the ranching economy.

“You might as well cross southeast Colorado off the map if this expansion goes forward,” Musgrave, a Republican from Fort Morgan, warned during a speech that played live on C-SPAN.

The Army has sought 418,000 acres to add to 235,000 acres it owns on the plains 150 miles southeast of Colorado Springs. Fort Carson officials have said the land is needed because they’re adding 10,000 soldiers by the end of the decade and will train with new equipment that allows small units to cover wide swaths of territory.

Backing the Army were Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn and his unlikely ally, Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas Democrat who heads a committee that oversees military construction spending.

Edwards said the Army must study expansion because of growth at Fort Carson.

“I think we could seriously impact the training of forces in this critical time,” Edwards said.

Lamborn was more animated in his defense of expansion, saying the measure by Musgrave and Salazar would bring “serious consequences.”

He said the Army needs more land because soldiers do their job in far-flung battlefields.

“While Army units have gotten smaller, the battlefield has gotten larger,” he said.

Lamborn, though, mustered only 34 votes.

The Army had nothing to say about Friday’s House action.

“We do not comment on ongoing legislation,” said Fort Carson spokeswoman Dee Mc-Nutt. “It’s up to Congress to make those decisions.”

The expansion proposal isn’t dead, but to go forward, it will likely need strong backing from both of the state’s U.S. senators, who have been lukewarm to the expansion plan.

Republican Sen. Wayne Allard wasn’t available for comment Friday. In the past, he’s expressed support for studying expansion, but hasn’t taken a position on the expansion plan.

Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar has the same rural roots as his brother who sponsored the House measure, but has said he’s willing to examine expansion plans.

A spokesman said Ken Salazar hasn’t taken a position on his brother’s legislation.

Southeast Colorado ranchers have whipped up opposition to the expansion plan since Army desires became known early last year.

They’ve packed public meetings an d triggered a vote of support from the state Legislature.

The training site is 150 miles southeast of Colorado Springs in the heart of rural ranching country, where many remain upset over land seizures that occurred in the early 1980s when the government acquired the site.

Ranchers who have been fighting the Army couldn’t believe how much support they got in the House.

“It humbles us and surprises us,” said Steve Wooten, a rancher who is vice president of the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition.

In their fight with the Army, the ranchers built alliances with county governments throughout the region, state lawmakers and peace activists in Colorado Springs.

At one meeting on the expansion last year, ranchers brought cattle and a sign that read “Beef not Bullets.”

http://www.gazette.com/articles/expansion_23694___article.html/army_colorado.html
 

Kathy

Well-known member
Sorry, didn't see US House votes....

Still be vigilant! Have your soil tested for Depleted Uranium contamination.
 
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