Udall, ranchers to meet, discuss Pinon Canyon
Source: The Pueblo Chieftain, by Peter Roper
August 22, 2007
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and a candidate for the Senate next year, will travel to Trinidad on Sept. 1 to meet with ranchers and local officials opposed to the expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site northeast of Trinidad.
Udall, the only Colorado lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Army has failed to make its case, thus far, for needing an additional 414,000 acres added to the training area, which is located in Las Animas County.
"That's not a secret and was reflected in the House vote we had (in June) in approving an amendment banning any funds for expansion next year," Udall said Tuesday. "I supported that amendment and I look forward to hearing from the ranchers about the impact of the expansion on their way of life. We hear conflicting information about whether there are willing sellers or not."
Udall, who represents Boulder and the 2nd Congressional District, is the only Democrat to have announced his Senate campaign thus far, while former Rep. Bob Schaffer, a Republican member of the Colorado Board of Education, is the only Republican raising money for a Senate race.
Schaffer, who is from Fort Collins, clearly did not want to step into the Pinon Canyon controversy Tuesday. Asked for his opinion on the proposed expansion, the former 4th District congressman declined to give one.
"Next year, when and if I announce my Senate candidacy, it will be a more appropriate time to speak out on this important subject," he said, choosing his words carefully in a telephone interview.
In the meantime, Schaffer added, he would continue to talk to military officials, ranchers and others in evaluating the "complex and complicated" issue.
With a Senate race in the offing, Udall jumped into the Pinon Canyon dispute earlier this year - asking the General Accountability Office to conduct an independent review of the Army's need for additional land at Pinon Canyon. He also has called for hearings on the expansion before the House Armed Services Committee.
"The types of conflicts we are fighting around the world have little relevance to the kind of additional land the Army wants at Pinon Canyon," he said. "So it's important to have them explain to the committee how this expansion is justified."
Udall said he would not support the Army using eminent domain to expand Pinon Canyon and said the central issue is what effect the expansion would have on the regional economy.
"There is a grave concern that expansion would cut the heart out of the economy there," he said.
Schaffer represented the 4th District for three terms until leaving Congress in 2003. His reluctance to take a position is in contrast to Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., who succeeded him in the 4th District, which includes the Eastern Plains counties east of the current Pinon Canyon training area.
Musgrave authored the amendment to the House version of the 2008 military construction appropriations bill that would prevent the Army from spending any money on the expansion next year, including preliminary studies.
She was joined by Democratic Rep. John Salazar, whose 3rd District includes the Pinon Canyon training area. With the backing of House Democratic leaders, Salazar and Musgrave succeeded in getting the House to approve the amendment on June 15 by a stunning vote of 383 to 34.
Both lawmakers are opposed to any expansion of the 238,000-acre Pinon Canyon site. They side with the ranchers and elected officials in the Southeastern counties who claim that tripling the size of the Army training site would destroy the ranching economy of the region.
Ranchers opposed to the expansion were disappointed when Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., met with them on Aug. 7 and did not pledge to support the Musgrave-Salazar amendment when the Senate takes up the legislation next month. The senator said he was withholding a decision until he received more information from the Army about possible economic assistance it could give the region.
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., is not running for re-election next year, leaving the door open to Udall, Schaffer and other candidates to vie for that seat. Allard has signaled that he wants the initial expansion studies to begin next year, meaning opponents are looking to Ken Salazar to oppose the expansion - or whichever new senator replaces Allard in 2009.
click here for more information
|
