Romanoff opposes Pinon Canyon expansion; Calls for ‘total ban’ on the enlargement debate

Andrew Romanoff says the four-year fight between the Army and Southern Colorado ranchers over the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site has gone on too long and — if elected to the U.S. Senate — he would permanently block any future expansion of the 238,000-acre training area near Trinidad. "We need a total ban on (the Army) expanding Pinon Canyon," the former Democratic speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives said in an interview Thursday. "The ranchers down there deserve to have this fight come to an end once and for all." Romanoff is challenging U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., for the party's nomination and he spoke to the Jac-X-Press Democratic Club in Pueblo on Thursday. Publicly, the Army has wanted to expand Pinon Canyon since 2006, saying it needs more training land to support troops at Fort Carson. Ranchers and other opponents have blocked that effort with federal and state legislation, forcing the Army to whittle its land acquisition effort from 418,000 acres in 2008 to 100,000 acres last year. Foes have been wanting a Colorado senator to take a hard line and rule out any future expansion — a step that would likely prevent the Senate from considering any expansion under its rules. While Sens. Mark Udall and Bennet, both Democrats, have voted for annual funding bans blocking any expansion, neither senator has gone so far as Romanoff, ruling out any future consideration...read more