Lamborn Statement on Ritter signing HB 1317 and Army's Announcement of Troop Reorganization

Washington, Jun 2 -

"I received official confirmation this morning directly from Army Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson, assistant chief of staff for installation management and commanding general, that the Army is not going to stand up the 47th Brigade Combat Team that was slated to come to Fort Carson in fiscal year 2011.

"This means Fort Carson, Colorado’s second largest employer, will not be growing by an additional 3,500 soldiers. It also means Fort Carson could lose all or some of the $390 million in military construction funds that would have come with that additional brigade. However, I will work with my colleagues in the House to retain as much of that money as is needed for ongoing, critical infrastructure at the post.

"While other states which were affected by this reorganization are busy positioning themselves to compete for the two heavy brigades being relocated from Germany, Governor Bill Ritter is making things worse for Fort Carson. Today he signed into law a bill that takes the unprecedented action of barring the state land board from selling or leasing land to the U.S. Army, though the board is free to do so to anyone else.

"All that the Army wishes to do to better train our troops in current battlefield tactics is to buy or lease land from willing landowners. This is in accordance with the landowners’ Constitutional private property rights. Additionally, the Army has pledged in writing to bring a construction budget of $140 million and an annual payroll of $9 million to Las Animas County. Currently, Fort Carson’s annual economic impact in Colorado is an estimated $1.64 billion.

"Colorado has a long history of working closely with the U.S. military. In fact, the Army is now beginning to look for a post to place another Brigade Combat Team which is slated to move out of Germany. I will ask the Army to consider relocating this brigade to Fort Carson, even though the Governor’s actions today make this more difficult.

"As always, our success will depend largely on the support the Army gets or does not get from the entire Congressional delegation. I once again urge Senators Udall and Bennet to stand up for our troops and tell the Army that Colorado will support their training, which will also benefit the state economy."--Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05)