Ritter to sign bill to block Pinon Canyon expansion

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said Saturday 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 Pinon Canyon, but it's important to put this safety net in place," he said. Ritter told the newspaper Saturday he will sign the bill as soon as the paperwork is ready. 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 to use is owned by the land board. The Army has said it needs to expand its training site near La Junta, about 140 miles southeast of Denver, to accommodate new weapons, tactics and soldiers. The Army's plan, announced more than three years ago, immediately drew the ire of landowners and congressional representatives who have fought the expansion, saying it would hurt the area's agriculture economy and permanently damage the land. The original plan was to increase the 238,000-acre site by about 414,000 acres...AP

"It may not be the last discussion we have on Pinon Canyon..."

Are those weasel words from Governor Ritter? Let's hope not.