The chairman of the U.S. House oversight committee has asked the Army to explain why it targeted 49 square miles, or 100,000 acres, to add to a southeast Colorado military training site and whether it plans to lease the land instead of buy it.
Rep. Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat, said he wants Army officials to answer a half-dozen questions about the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site by April 10.
Colorado Democratic Reps. John Salazar and Betsy Markey released a copy of Towns’ letter Monday. They have accused the Army of ignoring a moratorium imposed by Congress in January 2008 on spending for the project.
The Army says it needs to expand the 370-square-mile site to accommodate new weapons, new tactics and additional soldiers. The site is used by Fort Carson.
Opponents say the Army hasn’t justified the expansion and that it would hurt the economy by removing so much land from agricultural production. The Associated Press
