Salazar eases Piñon stand

U.S. Rep. John Salazar called a truce in the fight over the expansion of the Army's Piñon Canyon training facility Wednesday, saying that he no longer plans to push Congress to enact a permanent ban of the Army's effort. The ban had been Salazar's line in the sand in his fight with the Army over the training facility's expansion, and he said several times that he would get it passed this year. But it was becoming increasingly clear that a permanent ban would be politically tricky, earning withering attacks from Republicans — including the two from Colorado. The Manassa Democrat lost a key vote in a House committee Tuesday night on a related issue, with several fellow Democrats jumping ship. Given that the Army already can't expand without lots of money approved by Congress, Salazar decided there were enough restrictions in place that for now he will no longer push the legislative ban. "At the end of day, we have concluded that Piñon Canyon is off the table for the foreseeable future," said Eric Wortman, Salazar's spokesman, noting that Salazar can continue to deny funding for the expansion through his spot on the House Appropriations Committee...DenverPost