The Army said Wednesday that it would seek just one-fourth of the land it had originally proposed to buy in southeastern Colorado.
The Army wanted to buy about 418,000 acres to add to the the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site south of Fort Carson. But after strong resistance from area farmers and ranchers, it will now seek 100,000 acres, Army spokesman Dave Foster said.
“The concerns of the residents in Colorado dictated that we needed to step back and take a look at that and see what we could come up with,” Foster said.
Announcement of the planned reduction in land acquisition comes just a few days before the Army submits a report to Congress that outlines why it needs the land. U.S. Sens. Ken Salazar and Wayne Allard requested the report last year.
About 500 ranchers and farmers have rallied against the Army’s proposal since it was announced nearly three years ago. The Army said Monday that it has conducted studies that show it needs the 400,000-plus acres, but it can make do with one-fourth of that land.
“We’ll do the best we can with what we got — that’s what we have to do,” Foster said.
Farmers and ranchers said they are still against the proposal.
Lon Robertson, president of the Piñon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition, said that if the Army gets its way, it will be hungry for more land.
“It’s just a foot in the door,” said Robertson, a Kim-area rancher. “It’s a way to get it started, as far as we’re concerned.”
Kevin Karney, an Otero County commissioner and rancher, said the proposal threatens the area’s culture and heritage.
“There are fourth and fifth generations of ranchers that have had their family here,” he said. “You’re going to be removing them from that, and there’s no way you can replace that.”
The Army has said it would take land from those who refuse to sell by using the government’s powers of eminent domain. Foster declined to comment on whether that option was still on the table, but he said he was confident there would be enough willing sellers.
The Army has had its eye on expanding its 236,000-acre training grounds for almost three years.
Congress has blocked the Army from spending money on the expansion until the Pentagon justifies its need for the land. A report listing those reasons is due on July 28. Salazar, a Democrat, said that the Army’s announcement Wednesday would not stop him from seeking to extend that moratorium on land acquisition for another year.
“The reduction in acreage . . . I think is good, constructive movement,” Salazar said. “I think it is circumscribing what the Army wants and thinks it needs at Piñon Canyon, but that doesn’t in any way still answer a whole host of other questions.”
Allard, a Republican, said the Army is trying to find middle ground by scaling back its purchase.
He said the Army is leaving “the door open so that if there are any willing sellers who step forward in the future that they may have an opportunity to purchase that property.”
“Somebody has the right to sell their property . . . if they so wish,” Allard said.
Salazar’s request to extend the ban on the Army spending any money on the expansion plan is likely to come up today in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Similar language is in a House spending bill.
Allard, who objects to the moratorium, said he has been told that unless both senators agree, the language is unlikely to be included in a spending bill.
Christopher Sanchez: 303-954-1698 or csanchez@denverpost.com
