Friday, February 05, 2010
Romanoff opposes Pinon Canyon expansion Calls for ‘total ban’ on the enlargement debate.
Andrew Romanoff
Calls for ‘total ban’ on the enlargement debate.
By PETER ROPER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
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.
Romanoff is running for the Senate as an outsider of sorts. While he has an established reputation with Colorado Democrats after serving in the Legislature, it is Bennet — who was appointed to the Senate seat a year ago by Gov. Bill Ritter — who has the backing of the national Democratic Party and President Barack Obama. In fact, Obama is coming to Denver later this month to appear at three Bennet fundraisers.
Several Democrats at the luncheon said Obama's endorsement of Bennet may not carry much weight with rank-and-file Democrats, who have seen the Democratic majority in Congress seem to be in disarray over health care and other issues.
"I don't think it hurts Andrew at all to be considered an outsider right now," said Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor, one of about 70 Democrats at the luncheon.
Romanoff had the backing of more than 60 county Democratic chairmen when Ritter was deliberating over who to appoint to the Senate seat vacated by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in January 2009.
Ritter chose Bennet, the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, and a virtual unknown to Democrats outside the Denver area — a pick that startled and angered numerous Pueblo Democrats.
"My opponent has money, but we have people," Romanoff said, referring to Bennet's impressive war chest of nearly $5 million in campaign contributions.
By comparison, Romanoff has raised about $600,000 — "But nearly all of my contributions have come from Colorado residents," he said.
Romanoff has announced that he will not take contributions from political action committees and other special-interest groups. He is trying to draw comparisons to Bennet, who has received sizable contributions from Wall Street banks and financial interests by virtue of serving on the Senate Banking Committee.
"I think too many lawmakers get enthralled with the need to raise money and turn to those special interests to get it," he said.
Romanoff never mentioned Bennet by name in his luncheon speech, but said Democrats had squandered their opportunity for real health care reform by going along with special deals made to win the support of Democratic senators. Those deals angered the public, Romanoff said, and Democratic senators should have stopped them — not protested afterward.
"We made the biggest mistake in offering a compromise bill (to Republicans) who never intended to compromise in the first place," he said.
Romanoff supports a public option — giving people a government-backed insurance program as one alternative — and said Congress must provide that if lawmakers are going to require everyone to purchase health insurance.
proper@chieftain.com
"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.
Romanoff is running for the Senate as an outsider of sorts. While he has an established reputation with Colorado Democrats after serving in the Legislature, it is Bennet — who was appointed to the Senate seat a year ago by Gov. Bill Ritter — who has the backing of the national Democratic Party and President Barack Obama. In fact, Obama is coming to Denver later this month to appear at three Bennet fundraisers.
Several Democrats at the luncheon said Obama's endorsement of Bennet may not carry much weight with rank-and-file Democrats, who have seen the Democratic majority in Congress seem to be in disarray over health care and other issues.
"I don't think it hurts Andrew at all to be considered an outsider right now," said Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor, one of about 70 Democrats at the luncheon.
Romanoff had the backing of more than 60 county Democratic chairmen when Ritter was deliberating over who to appoint to the Senate seat vacated by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in January 2009.
Ritter chose Bennet, the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, and a virtual unknown to Democrats outside the Denver area — a pick that startled and angered numerous Pueblo Democrats.
"My opponent has money, but we have people," Romanoff said, referring to Bennet's impressive war chest of nearly $5 million in campaign contributions.
By comparison, Romanoff has raised about $600,000 — "But nearly all of my contributions have come from Colorado residents," he said.
Romanoff has announced that he will not take contributions from political action committees and other special-interest groups. He is trying to draw comparisons to Bennet, who has received sizable contributions from Wall Street banks and financial interests by virtue of serving on the Senate Banking Committee.
"I think too many lawmakers get enthralled with the need to raise money and turn to those special interests to get it," he said.
Romanoff never mentioned Bennet by name in his luncheon speech, but said Democrats had squandered their opportunity for real health care reform by going along with special deals made to win the support of Democratic senators. Those deals angered the public, Romanoff said, and Democratic senators should have stopped them — not protested afterward.
"We made the biggest mistake in offering a compromise bill (to Republicans) who never intended to compromise in the first place," he said.
Romanoff supports a public option — giving people a government-backed insurance program as one alternative — and said Congress must provide that if lawmakers are going to require everyone to purchase health insurance.
proper@chieftain.com
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