Ranchers waiting to hear about Piñon Canyon plans

Ranchers are waiting to hear what the Army will do next after a federal judge rejected its plans to increase operations at a training site in southeastern Colorado. Andrew Ames, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, which represented the Army in the case, said Matsch's opinion is being reviewed, and no decision has been made about what to do next...the ranchers' attorney, Steve Harris, said he believed the Army inflated its need for year-round training to back the case for expansion. Harris believes Matsch's decision means the Army must halt its plans to increase training and to start construction at Piñon Canyon. But he said he plans to confirm that with the Army's lawyers. Harris said he hopes the Army will give up on the expansion, given the recession and setbacks in the Colorado Legislature and in Congress. "This is a project that, for a variety of reasons, has been shown not to be in the best interest of the American people," he said...AP