Expansion Economics - Segment 3 Land-based Economics vs Bureaucratic Dependence

Land-based Economics vs. Bureaucratic Dependence

Much of the productivity of the lands surrounding Piñon Canyon is invisible to the casual observer. A 100,000 acre expansion of PCMS would cost (in lost productivity) the communities of Southeastern Colorado $27 million to $76 million annually, according to economic data compiled by former Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and Rep. John Salazar.  This includes tourism and hunting revenue, cattle  and hay sales, and agricultural salaries. Wind development on a 100,000 acres would generate an additional $25 to $35 million annually.  Gas fields east of I-25 could also become a reality as energy prices rise.

The Army estimates PCMS expansion will bring $5 million in salary and $4 million in maintenance costs annually to the local economy.  A good trade?  Pro-expansion politicians say expansion is about jobs. They are right in some ways; expansion is about the loss of private sector jobs and businesses in southeast Colorado in order to create tax payer funded jobs near Ft. Carson.
 .