The Assistant Secretary of the Army, Keith Eastin along with General Graham, Lt. Colonel Rice, and PR reps from Booz Allen, visited Trinidad last Wednesday. Las Animas County Commissioners and residents heard statements from Mr. Eastin in a County Commissioner 's meeting that were eerily similar to promises and comments made in the 1980s. Residents were not impressed with Mr. Eastin's promise that 'he would be different and would put things he promised in writing, unlike what was done before' especially when he advised he would not be around after January, 2009.
And our Las Animas County commissioners stood tall and strong when those promises were again made stating their disbelief and the strong support they have for the residents of Las Animas County. They also made the statement that it was considered that the Army was in 'contempt of Congress' by any actions to try to expand the Pinon Canyon maneuver site.
And the biggest promise of all seemed to be the last straw for the residents in attendance at the second community meeting. Mr. Eastin stated plainly that he 'knows there are enough willing sellers to acquire the 100,000 acres' in Parcel 1A. When asked what the Army's plan would be if there weren't enough willing sellers for the 100,000 acres he stated, "We will go to Fort Polk , LA because they do have ample room at that location."
At that point the obviously non-willing sellers stood to display the majority of large parcel landowners in the region, comprising almost 40,000 acres of the 100,000 acres being considered. One by one they rose to declare the acreage they owned and represented and that none of them were for sale.
The question was then placed to Mr. Eastin that since it is obvious that there are no willing sellers, what was the need for more discussion?
"The visit by the Assistant Secretary of the Army was obviously intended to try to give credence to the Army's simple statements that 'we need the land', without any supporting evidence or approvals" said Lon Robertson a rancher, small businessman and the leader of the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition. "Mr. Eastin apparently believes he can go ahead and spend taxpayer dollars against the congressional mandate and there is also the underlying fact that they have not justified the land acquisition and expansion of PCMS."
In both the County Commissioner and the landowner meetings Mr. Eastin made numerous promises saying he would 'back them up in writing' but then later admitted they wouldn't probably stand up in court. When comparing his statements at those meetings yesterday with comments and statements made in documentation from the 80s (even though Mr. Eastin says they don't exist) it is apparent the same tactics are still in play today. In fact, the quotes from those documents are almost identical to his promises of more benefits for the community, the promise of $5 million in local payroll, and training for local vendors to secure contracts.
For example, the following are some statements 'in writing' in a June 9, 1981, letter from Major General John W. Hudachek, Commanding, Dept of Army, Headquarters Fort Carson:
"Economic impact of the proposed acquisition continues to be a matter of high priority in our efforts. While an exact dollar amount impact cannot be guaranteed for any given community, the aggregate economic impact in Southeastern Colorado would be significantly positive. Acquisition, construction and development expenditures on the site would total nearly $68 million over the period 1982-1985. Additionally, once training begins, the annual local impact of operations and maintenance expenditures could range between $1 million and $5 million. The purchasing and contracting specialists at Fort Carson are preparing seminars for local business persons to prepare them to compete effectively for federal contracts."
"They also state in their most recently released report that they didn't consider 'alternative sites' (even though the Congressional order required it) because it was more than 200 miles away from Fort Carson," said Steve Wooten, rancher and Vice President of PCEOC. "Then Mr. Eastin turned right around yesterday and says if there aren't willing sellers in Parcel 1A then they know that they can go to Fort Polk , LA. How can they say they didn't consider 'alternative sites' in the July report when they have obviously considered just that? "
"If Mr. Eastin is in fact a 'man of his word' then he is bound by his word to declare this expansion effort null and void and they should pursue the other options for training on grounds that already exist." Mr. Wooten stated. "Mr. Eastin said he wanted to get 'closure' on this as soon as possible and obviously those heroic landowners are handing that to him on a silver platter!"
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.
