Op-Eds

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman is doing the right thing in sponsoring a bill eliminating the possibility the Army could condemn ranchland in Southeastern Colorado to expand Fort Carson’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

Bravo!

The bill forbids the federal government from acquiring property located near PCMS for the purpose of expansion if the acquisition were to require condemnation of the property. Republican Coffman noted, “Although the U.S. Army has repeatedly stated that it will not resort to condemnation, there are many in Southeastern Colorado who question whether the Army will keep its word.”

There is indeed mistrust of the Army among people living in Southeastern Colorado. The Army made many promises of economic benefits to the region when it first created PCMS, and those promises were not kept.

While Rep. Coffman supports our military — he’s served on active duty in both the Army and the Marine Corps and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee — he also is fully supportive of private property rights. Those rights are firmly ensconced in the U.S. Constitution.