Next meeting - Thursday at the Springs - Crowne Plaza at 6pm

Both of the first two of three scheduled public comment meetings this week were well attended and many important statements were made and entered into the record.

Monday night in Trinidad there were more people to comment than the time allowed - Good Job all! An article in the Pueblo Chieftain on Monday night's meeting in Trinidad can be read HERE 

Last night in La Junta, Jim Herrell with Otero Jr College and Not 1 More Acre! put it into context when he said, "well, here we are again.  And again.  And again.  And again.  And again." 

He is absolutely on target as we have done this many, many times before and will continue to do it if we have to.  'Enough is enough' is appropriate but we MUST ALSO KEEP OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS informed and get them to end this or we will keep on 'meeting this way'.

Our efforts to keep the Army at bay have always been successful because we are able to use these meetings and other ways to publicly raise awareness of the problems with every step the Army takes to try to expand PCMS. 

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Thank you to all who made it out to the first two meetings - we hope to see you Thursday in Colorado Springs at the Crowne Plaza hotel!  

Don't forget to sign your Private Property Airspace Declaration sheet and get to us!   Mail it to:  PCEOC, P.O. Box 137, Kim, CO 81049.  We'll forward it to our elected officials as well as the Army!
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Other Blogs on this issue:

CSIndy

Westerner

Denver Westword

The Army is committed to building community trust- rrriiigghhhttt

From their EA page 1-5:

1 (the)"Army is committed to open decision-making and building community trust."
[PCEOC: then why have they already made up their mind to implement the final decision?  The first week of Jan they sent out a Section 106 consultation to our Counties for CAB training exercises planned at the PCMS. As would be expected they determined there would be no adverse effects. This is the perfect example of their belief that they can do anything they want, as long as they check things off of their to do list.  Doesn't help our trust whatsoever....... does it yours?]

5"EA/Draft FNSI for public review. These notices will announce that the public has additional
6 opportunities to participate in the analysis and decision-making process for CAB stationing
7 implementation by: (1) providing two public comment periods; "
[PCEOC: Want to truly 'participate in the decision-making process'? Then come to the meetings and make your comments - get them documented and recorded - AND THEN COPY EVERYTHING TO OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND CALL THEM AND FAX THEM - THEY CAN PUT A HOLD ON THE WHOLE PROCESS IF THEY REALLY WANT TO REPRESENT ALL OF US!  The Army doesn't care - never will - if you want to change something get it in writing, and push our reps to do their jobs]

Army CAB Plans Ignore Fed Courts - January 2012

Your comments are needed!!!

PUBLIC COMMENT MEETINGS ARE SLATED FOR 6 to 8 pm Each evening:
JANUARY 23RD at TSJC IN TRINIDAD;
JANUARY 24TH at OTERO JR COLLEGE IN LA JUNTA;
JANUARY 26TH at CROWNE PLAZA IN COLORADO SPRINGS. 


Fort Carson is soon to receive more Federal Dollars (your tax dollars) to bring/create another Combat Aviation Brigade at Ft Carson and Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

They've done an Environmental Assessment that says it won't cause any harm and public comment on that 'EA' is open through January. Download the EA HERE



Fort Drum in NY has a CAB with drones now as well.
Fort Riley in KS has a CAB already and will receive their drones in March.
So if Fort Carson gets a CAB then the drones will surely follow - but the EA doesn't mention that.

• The overall cost of the CAB is estimated to be in excess of $4 billion.  Over $700 million of that is for construction at Fort Carson.  The rest is for all the helicopters, drones and ground vehicles etc.
• In a time of budget cuts in general and in the Pentagon budget in particular  how does this make sense?  What are the priorities of our congressional folks who are pushing this?

Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition presents to Colorado College

PCEOC Press Release

For immediate release

Contact:          

Doug Holdread- doug@holdread.com 719-680-3933

Lon Robertson- lonr@ghvalley.net 719-980-5114

KIM, Colorado (November 1, 2011)- On Thursday, November 3rd, the Colorado College Non-violence Club will host a presentation entitled, "Working Together" by the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition.  The presentation will focus upon how the Pinon Canyon issue has defied traditional political classifications and employed unusual tactics, bringing together a coalition of ranchers, artists, environmentalists, preservationists and peace activists.   

According to PCEOC board member, Grady Grissom, "The issue touches on the environment, property rights, big government, the military-industrial complex, cultural heritage, and economic development.  It's an ongoing course in civics and political science."

Presenters will include Grissom, an environmentally conscious rancher, Steve Wooten, another rancher who has worked closely with biologists to document the bio-diversity of the region, Rebecca Goodwin, a preservationist who has worked to identify and protect cultural resources at Pinon Canyon, and Doug Holdread, an artist and educator who has mobilized artists to join the cause.  

The presenters will focus upon how the coalition has successfully brought together diverse sectors of the local community in taking on a deeply entrenched federal bureaucracy. They will present an overview of their successes over the past five years and discuss issues which remain unresolved. These include the Department of Defense waiver which authorizes expansion and remains in effect, as well as ongoing concerns about military expansions such as Fort Carson's Combat Aviation Brigade, CAB, and Canon Air Force Base's Special Operations Low Altitude Tactical Aviation, LATN proposal.   

The presentation will take place in the WAS Room in the Worner Center on the Colorado College Campus at 4:30 on Thursday.  

The Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition is a broad-based coalition representing communities across Southern Colorado in their opposition to the proposed military expansion. PCEOC members include business owners, teachers, students, elected officials, ranchers, environmentalists and many others.   

The coalition is united in its opposition to any expansion of PCMS.  No funding, no expansion.   

For more information, please see www.pinoncanyon.com.

# # #

Wayne Laugesen, Colorado Springs Gazette editorial page editor, displays hypocrisy

In the 3/29/2011 on-line edition of the Colorado Springs Gazette, Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, displays an incredible blind spot. The editorial in question involves the closure of the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility near Las Animas.  Read the article: http://www.gazette.com/articles/right-115384-view-closing.html

Obviously, reasonable arguments can be made for, or against, closing prisons. What is amazing is the blind spot and hypocrisy on display by Wayne Laugesen. The exact same arguments he makes can be applied to the military installations in Colorado Springs. The following statement of Wayne's illustrates this.

“We will never do away with the need for prisons, but let’s be careful to never confuse a prison as something other than a cost. Prisons bring jobs and wealth to localities that host them, but the money is taken from other regions. This is necessary, but should not be confused as economic gain."

Another notable quote in the article is from State Representative Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs:
“The reality is that we just have too much government,” said Gardner, as quoted in the Bent County Democrat. “Sometimes the most efficient thing is to shut something down, even if people will be impacted in the short term. The role of prison is not one of an economic development tool for a community.”

The truth is, both correctional facilities and military installations are vital; but they are also an overhead cost on society, transferring capital from other uses. Pro-expansion forces see the expansion of the PCMS as economic insurance for Colorado Springs, or as an economic development tool.

Wahoo! Tipton gets Pinon Canyon funding ban reinstated - From the Pueblo Chieftain.....

Tipton gets Pinon Canyon funding ban reinstated

By PETER ROPER | proper@chieftain.com | Posted: Monday, May 23, 2011 6:19 pm
   Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., has convinced the  chairman of a crucial House appropriations subcommittee to restore the annual funding ban that has blocked the Army from spending any money to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site for the past four years.
   Rep. John Culverson, R-Texas, is expected to restore the funding ban to the 2012 military construction budget when it is considered by the full House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. Culverson chairs the military construction subcommittee and his backing of the Pinon Canyon moratorium almost certainly guarantees the ban will remain in place.
   For Tipton, the new GOP congressman in the 3rd Congressional District, the funding ban has been a critical issue because it has been the centerpiece of the opposition to the Army's controversial efforts to expand the 235,000-acre training site northeast of Trinidad.
   Tipton inherited the ban from former Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., and ranchers opposed to the Army's efforts were gravely concerned last week when they learned that the military construction subcommittee had not retained it in the 2012 military construction budget they drafted a week ago. The ban has been in place since 2008.
  Tipton was under close scrutiny by those ranchers because he'd promised to defend the funding ban until some kind of long-term agreement could be reached between the Army and the ranching community over Pinon Canyon.