Why Army won't be expanding PCMS any time soon..

Here is a related article from another blog: http://www.5280.com/blog/?p=11942

HB1317 passes 25 to 9!!

Senate formally passes HB1317 with a 25 to 9 vote! Now it goes to Governor Ritter's desk - please send him a note asking for his support of this very important bill!

Bill Ritter, Governor
136 State Capital
Denver, CO 80203-1792
Phone: (303) 866-2471
Fax: (303) 866-2003
Web Page: http://www.colorado.gov/governor/

HB 1317 Passed the Senate on 2nd Reading!!!

HB1317 just passed the Senate on Second Reading!!! Significant numbers of 'ayes' - tomorrow will likely be final vote/third reading.

Audio link to listen to Senate debate today

HB 1317 to be heard today, don't know what time yet, on second reading (debate).

Listen to proceedings in Senate at: Senate Audio

Articles past few days good read.....

Links/stories recently on Pinon Canyon issues include:
Pueblo Chieftain Lamar Ledger Denver Post

HB1317 going to second reading on 28th

Senate will hear HB 1317 on second reading on Tuesday - the 28th. Be sure to call your senator and ask for support of 1317.

You can listen to the debate at Colorado State Senate (on Tuesday - live audio) .

Senate Ag Committee Passes HB1317 on 6-0 vote!

The Colorado State Senate Ag Committee unanimously passed HB 1317 yesterday afternoon. More than 80 people were in attendance and there was NO TESTIMONY AGAINST 1317. A big thanks to those FFA youths and their leaders - Branson, Fowler, Hoehne, Kim, and Rocky Ford were represented by almost 30 young people in FFA Blue!

These young people again represented their schools and the region and everyone should be very proud of our progeny!

The bill now will go to the Senate floor for '2nd reading' and associated debate. Likely next week.

Again, thank you to all that supported the effort thus far with attendance, phone calles, e-mails, faxes and so on. Please know that kind of showing makes a tremendous difference in outcomes of legislation such as 1317.

Please do go ahead and make a call to your senator and let him/her know of your request for them to support passage of 1317 in the Senate.

You can find addresses and phone numbers at the Colorado General Assembly website

US Representatives for CO push for permanent end

Representatives Salazar and Markey deserve as many calls of appreciation we can muster! Their and our work are still cut out for us but we have their complete support to put something more permanent in the works!

Today's Chieftain article

Here are the numbers for calls to be made showing our support:
Representative John Salazar
202-225-4761 (Washington DC)
719-543-8200 (Pueblo, CO)

Representative Betsy Markey
202-225-4676 (Washington DC)
970-221-7110 (Ft. Collins, CO)

Oversight Committee Mtg - Eastin resigning - New Opportunities

Check out the Chieftain today....... http://www.chieftain.com/

Thanks to Congressman Salazar and Congresswoman Markey for their never ending support and for going to bat for all of us today in the Oversight Committee meeting.

Now we need to put our full and complete support behind them as they push for a permanent ban on the expansion efforts.

Questions the Oversight Committee COULD ask....

If you were on the House Oversight Committee this week what questions would you be asking Mr. Eastin as he tries to respond to the request for information that they sent to the Army?

Post your ideas!

Pueblo Chieftain Editorial - 'Betrayal' 4-19-2009

April 19, 2009 12:18 am

WHILE A key congressional committee awaits information from the Army on its proposal to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, it’s well to review the issue.

When the Department of Defense first bought the current 238,000 acres between Trinidad and La Junta, Army brass promised that businesses in Pueblo, Trinidad and La Junta all would benefit. Supplies and fuel would be purchased from businesses in those communities, and Fort Carson soldiers would patronize businesses as well, or so the story went.

But in reality, hardly any economic benefit has come to the three communities. Colorado Springs has been the big economic winner.

Meanwhile, Fort Carson’s use of Pinon Canyon has been spotty - at best. And the Army hasn’t been forthcoming when asked about use of the site.

See the rest of the editorial at Betrayal

HB 1317 to be heard Thursday

The Senate Ag Committee will consider the bill and hear testimony.

This Thursday after 1:30 pm ( April 23 )

Supreme Court Room - 2nd Floor

See http://www.pinoncanyon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=72 for details on how to contact our senators!

Gates pushing 'smarter'

Gates pushes more flexibility in overhaul of Pentagon

House debate of 1317 - See it here!

The House debate on April 7, 2009 can be seen at this link. The debate on 1317 starts after the 51 minute mark.

Gates Takes His Case For Military Budget On The Road
(New York Times, April 17, 2009, Pg. 18)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates took his campaign for the Pentagon’s budget to one of the nation’s premier military institutions as he pressed his argument for shifting billions of dollars from future Army weapons programs to the more immediate needs of the country’s two wars. “For too long, there was a belief, or a hope, that Iraq and Afghanistan were exotic distractions that would be wrapped up relatively soon,” Gates told a sometimes skeptical audience of officers and civilians at the Army War College in south-central Pennsylvania. As a result, Gates said, weapons and equipment most urgently needed for Iraq and Afghanistan were “fielded ad hoc and on the fly” and with temporary financing by Congress “that would go away when the wars did, if not sooner.”

Gates Urges Flexibility in Era of Iraq, Afghanistan
(Bloomberg.com, April 16, 2009)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the U.S. military must become more flexible in its approach to combat and the tools that go with it, as he sought to build support for his recommended overhaul of Pentagon spending. Gates is touring military war colleges this week to promote his plan to reorient military purchases to fit more complex, long-range scenarios that combine traditional battle with unconventional warfare. His spending blueprint, proposed earlier this month, cuts some weapons programs, as U.S. defense spending reaches $654.1 billion for fiscal year 2009 including war costs, a 72 percent gain since 2000.
Gates Plans Relaunch of U.S. Army-Vehicle Revamp
(Reuters.com, April 16, 2009)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates plans to seek full funding for the Army’s flagship modernization program after scrapping an $87 billion ground vehicle segment to make greater use of lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan. In good news for co-program managers Boeing and SAIC, Gates said the Pentagon’s fiscal 2010 budget request would seek “substantial money” to develop a revamped vehicle plan for Future Combat Systems, the $159 billion modernization effort. “My hope is that we can be ready to move forward in FY 11,” with ground vehicles that better reflect urban warfare and other modern challenges, he told an audience at the Army War College.

Senate Ag Committee to hear HB 1317 on April 23rd

The Colorado Senate Ag Committee will be hearing testimony on the Landowner and School Protection Act (HB 1317) sometime after 1:30pm on April 23rd.

Please try to come to the hearings if at all possible - we'll be posting the location soon.

Please ALSO send a short note to our Senators and ask for their support for HB 1317.

Gates work cut out

Gates hits army's top program
By: Jen DiMascio
April 14, 2009 04:34 AM EST

Of the more than 50 cuts and other radical changes to Pentagon weapons systems that were announced last week by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, he said reshaping the Army’s Future Combat System was the most difficult.

The Army’s top leaders defended their major modernization program — essentially a new family of combat vehicles, robots and sensors connected by a computer network. The program was conceived in 2001 to provide a lighter, faster way to deploy an Army brigade, with systems that would allow war fighters to see and respond to threats before they became deadly.

Gates, in a wide-ranging interview with reporters after announcing his proposed cuts, said he spent more time discussing the Future Combat System than any other topic with Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Secretary Pete Geren. Yet he had harsh words for the program, striking down its concept and execution.

After nine years and $15 billion spent in development, the program still wasn’t tackling the lessons learned in recent wars, Gates said. It was relying too heavily on the network to detect and stave off threats and did not focus enough on protecting forces after a blast had occurred.

read the entire article here

The 'jest' of HB1317 House floor arguments:

· Started by Rep Pace and McKinley – 2.5 min by Sal; 15 sec. by Wes; 3’45 sec by Sal - stated reasons for bill

· Marcia Looper spoke in opposition – 10 minutes – statements included: “NOT constitutional; GAO says they need MORE INFO; there is no expansion of Pinon Canyon; this is not a bill about property rights; I’m a strong supporter of property rights”

· David Balmer spoke in opposition – 4 minutes – “we should be welcoming the Army to CO; this bill says Army not welcome; need space to run tanks; etc.

· Scott Tipton – in favor – 2.5 minutes – “obligation to the military but also an obligation to protect property rights”.

· Cory Gardner spoke in favor – 2 minutes – “bill is constitutional; legal opinions; general assembly ability to statutorily regulate land”

· McKinley spoke to ‘constitutional issue’ raises by Looper

· Kathleen Curry – spoke in favor – 2 minutes – “four reasons to support – 1-entirely within our purvue; 2-no adequate demonstration of need for expansion; 3-landowners in area oppose expansion and should be supported; 4-Ultimate authority of military is violating our trust – in fact borderline contempt of Congress”

· Amy Stephens spoke in opposition – 2 minutes – “from El Paso County; can’t train in a vacuum; not about eminent domain; directs AG to enforce actions we shouldn’t be contemplating – sets precedence”

· Gwyn Green – spoke in favor – 1.5 minutes – “bill supports schools and ranchers; area ‘down there’ is filled with dinosaur fossils; need to protect community”

· Larry Liston spoke in opposition to bill – 5 minutes – “southeast Co has long hx of being used for training – used entire area in WWII; in the last BRAC Ft Carson was on chopping block; reason Ft Carson wasn’t lost was because of large training area and Pinon Canyon; Gulf war was fought and won in four days because of adequate training; we’ll be back on BRAC chopping block without expansion of Pinon Canyon; read book ‘Lone Survivor’ about how training helped this marine survive”

· Marsha Looper spoke again – 4 minutes – “read the bill; Not about private property rights; [reads] memo from ‘office of the AG’ saying it may not be constitutional; Ft Carson isn’t expanding PCMS; this bill politicizes an issue that is dead”

· Dickey Lee Hullinghorst spoke in favor – 3 minutes – “AG memo Looper mentions was found NOT to be from the AG’s office; AG actually says the bill IS constitutional; [read] constitution relative to land board lands – ‘subject to terms and conditions as prescribed by the State of Colorado; we are the State; area is prime example of great plains; land is used for ranching and that is the best use of the land”

· McKinley spoke about Bridger fire – spoke to claims by Looper “no plans? Senator Bennet was taken to PCMS in February to be shown ‘plan’; there is a no funding ban in place for expansion because the Army is planning on expanding PCMS; no funding means no candy, no beer – nothing”

· Kathleen Curry – spoke to Looper statement of no expansion – “ since they aren’t supposedly going to expand PCMS then there shouldn’t be any issue with passing this bill – there wouldn’t be any reason for [Looper] opposition; we need to protect our constituents in southeast Colorado; some reps favor El Paso County over all others”

· Joe Rice – spoke in opposition – 13 minutes – “in Army Reserves but on record as being against; training is needed – shows 80’s poster of ‘ghost soldier’ looking over a graveyard with the caption: ‘Let no soul cry out – had I but the training’; PCMS is second largest training area in US; at Ft Carson 20 yrs ago; need time and distance training; during Iraq invasion the 507^th Maint division was ambushed as they were last in a column 600 mi long – and turned the wrong way; this is the training we can get at PCMS; gave names of soldiers that died in 507^th; this bill prohibits the sale of land by willing sellers – and private landowners can’t sell theirs; there have been no bids made; there is great conservation at PCMS – we’d go on ‘field trips’ when I was there; the legislature has a choice to help our soldiers get the training they need or not”

· Jerry Sonnenburg spoke in favor – 3 minutes – “impact right now on ag land being lost; 690 acres/day lost in past 15 years; state land is integral part of ranches; taking state land would ‘gut’ ranches; I lease state land in my operation and losing that land would ‘gut’ my operation; enough land is available – we should use what we have”

· Buffy McFadyen spoke in favor – 6 minutes – “large number of ranchers are veterans; this is about a ‘crazy quilt’ of state land; not contiguous acreage; they have a quarter of a million acres already at PCMS; broken promises and lies; BRAC says they have enough land; it’s NOT a ‘dead’ issue as it continues to shadow those businesses and landowners there; new plan was stated recently - yet no willing sellers stepped forward; why go after ag land when it is an area of the state that is the largest producer of the best beef in the nation?”

· Rice spoke again to space being ‘adequate’ – 3 minutes – “adequate space? – White Sands won’t work; AZ won’t work; not the same lands; it costs to transport troops to other sites; now it’s difficult to schedule training at present sites; live fire ‘lie’ is not true – there IS NO LIVE FIRE at PCMS – only ‘dummy’ rounds from tanks; Army has been true to its word on live fire”

· Bob Gardner spoke against – 14 minutes – “[sarcastic] we are all supporters of the military; we are all supporters of adequate training; training is necessary for our troops safety; who’s way of life is better; who’s economy is more sacred; one more sign @ border of CO saying ‘Army not welcome here’; let’s not kid ourselves what this argument is about; [ indignant ] my district is no less than yours; we’re welcome in KS, TX, AZ, but not in CO?; Pinon Canyon is a part of Fort Carson and is a vital engine for the Colorado economy; Army is my way of life, my heritage, my history; you are making a choice; it’s not just to the benefit of Colo Springs; we place ways of life in competition with each other; before it was eminent domain this year we say ‘state land board don’t make the right choice for the state’; make the choice for the good of the economy for the state”

· Mark Waller spoke against bill – 4 minutes – “support what Gardner said – expansion is important to protect military; this issue has pitted two regions against one another; we lose sight of doing what is better for the greater good of Colorado – vote no on 1317”

· McKinley answers most elements brought up

· Pace brings out key issues and misleading statements from other Reps

Vote taken – ayes have it! The following day they formally voted at '3rd Reading' and the bill passed 47 to 17.

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Colorado Senate to hear HB 1317

On April 23rd, the Colorado Senate Ag Committee will be hearing testimony on the Landowner and School Protection Act (HB1317). Please go to our web page and look at our alerts page (http://www.pinoncanyon.com/alerts ) for contact information and ideas as to how to help.