Southeastern Colorado Residents Denounce Army's Report on Pinon Canyon
Call on Legislators to force Army to drop Illegal Plans to Acquire Land
For immediate release
Contact: Lon Robertson 719-980-5114
Jody Berger 303-748-9657
KIM, Colorado (July 21)-The Army released its report on the proposed expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site and residents of Southeastern Colorado immediately denounced it as a deliberate attempt to repackage the same old proposal that has been rejected by an overwhelming majority of citizens, local elected officials, state lawmakers and the United States Congress.
"In calling for this report, Congress directed the Army to do two things: explain why it wanted to take more land from the people of Colorado and fully explore other options," said Lon Robertson, a rancher, small businessman and the leader of the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition. "It's clear from this report that the Army did neither."
Army officials also stated that they would try to acquire land within the next two years, despite a Congressional funding ban on the project.
"Representatives Marilyn Musgrave and John Salazar authored legislation banning all funding for any expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site; a majority of the U.S. House and Senate approved the bill; and President Bush, the Commander in Chief, signed it into law," Roberston said. "Is Army Assistant Secretary Keith Eastin that unfamiliar with the chain of command that he believes he can go ahead and spend taxpayer dollars anyway? And on a project that remains unjustified?"
The Army's plans are obviously unchanged from its initial plans to take 5,000,000 acres of Southeastern Colorado, stretching from the Arkansas River to the New Mexico border and from I-25 to Kansas. The land was slated to be taken in pieces, beginning with 100,000 acres just south of the current maneuver site and this latest attempt doesn't change any of that. In fact, Eastin admits that they will take more land in the future so there is absolutely no variation from the original plan to destroy a 90-mile by 90-mile piece of Colorado.
In the report and in interviews, Eastin said the Army would "settle" for only 100,000 acres for now. Area residents immediately recognized this so-called compromise for what it is: an attempt to get the proposed expansion underway against all public and legislative opposition to the entire project.
"The Army cannot explain why they need this land and why they can't train on the 25 million acres already owned by the military," Robertson said. "At this point, Eastin and his cohorts are in no position to offer a so-called compromise. It's a like a baseball player with three strikes asking the pitcher to 'compromise' and call it a walk."
Residents also noted that they had heard the same line from the Army before. Twenty-five years ago, when the Army used eminent domain to condemn 238,000 acres of Colorado ranchland, Army officials said they would never ask for more and that they would contribute to the local economy by supporting schools and providing jobs.
"Neither of those promises proved true so why would we believe their promises now?" asked Steve Wooten, a rancher whose land was threatened by the recent fire started on the maneuver site.
The Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition is a broad-based coalition representing communities across Southern Colorado in their opposition to the proposed military expansion. PCEOC members include business owners, teachers, students, elected officials, ranchers, environmentalists and many others.
The coalition is united in its opposition to any expansion of PCMS. No funding, no expansion.
For more information, please see www.pinoncanyon.com/alerts.html
For full text of the report -COMPILED BY BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON - CLICK HERE |
