Allard on panel weighing Pinon expansion delay
Source: The Pueblo Chieftain, by Peter Roper
September 17, 2007
Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard, the Republican who is backing the Army's plan to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, has been appointed to the House-Senate conference committee that will decide the fate of a one-year ban on the Army spending any money on the expansion.
The one-year delay was added to both the Senate and House versions of the 2008 military construction appropriations bill by Sen. Ken Salazar and his brother, Rep. John Salazar, both Colorado Democrats.
The one-year delay was overwhelmingly approved in the House back in June on a 383-35 vote, thanks to the bipartisan efforts of John Salazar and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., who actually authored the one-year delay.
The Senate vote last month was much narrower, 47-45, with Ken Salazar getting the votes of all Democratic senators on hand, plus the support of Republican Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback, both from Kansas.
Now the legislation goes to a special House-Senate conference committee where differences in the $109 billion spending bill will be resolved.
Allard, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Ñ specifically the subcommittee on military construction Ñ has been named to the group. He led the opposition to the one-year delay on the expansion process, saying the Salazar-Musgrave amendment was too restrictive and would prevent the Army from even discussing the proposed 414,000-acre expansion with landowners around the training area, which is northeast of Trinidad.
Neither of the Salazars nor Musgrave has been named to the conference group, which will be made up of members of Congressional appropriations committees.
Asked if Allard will try to peel the one-year ban out of the final bill that will go back to the House and Senate, a spokesman was noncommittal. Even though Allard opposes the amendment, the conference committee will be controlled by Democrats who voted for the measure.
"Senator Allard has said he will have to wait and see how this plays out," Steve Wymer, Allard's spokesman, said Tuesday.
As for John Salazar, his office said the House members of the conference committee will be the seven members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, chairs that panel and was an opponent of the Salazar amendment during the June debate. Since then, Edwards has told John Salazar he will defend the amendment, based on the strong House vote for it.
"At this point, we're pretty confident the House conferees will protect the amendment," said Eric Wordman, a spokesman for John Salazar.
When the conference committee will begin negotiations is not known yet.
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