Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said he will sign a bill to prevent the Army from buying or leasing land in southeast Colorado for a military training site.
Ritter told The Pueblo Chieftain the bill is a safety net for farmers and ranchers who fear an Army takeover of their land.
“It may not be the last discussion we have on Piñon Canyon, but it’s important to put this safety net in place,” he said.
The bill bars the sale of land from the Colorado State Land Board for Army expansion. About 20 percent of the land the Army wants is owned by the land board.
While Army officials said last week that no money would be budgeted next year to buy land at Piñon, Lt. Col. Martin Downie, an Army spokesman in Washington, said the Army is still interested in expansion there. The Associated Press
