The Colorado House gave initial passage today to a bill opposing the U.S. Army’s plan to expand its Pinon Canyon site by 418,000 acres for tank training.

Supporters said House Bill 1069 sends a message to the federal government to halt the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site expansion from wiping out generations-old Southeast Colorado ranch families and irreplaceable dinosaur tracks.

"We took an oath an oath, each of us, to protect life, liberty and property," declared sponsor Rep. Wes McKinley, D-Walsh, who represents ranchers in the sprawling grasslands where cows outnumber people eight-to-one. "Every citizen in Colorado should be guaranteed in their heart that their government is going to protect their right to what is actually theirs."

But critics warned the state was planting a big "unwelcome" sign to the U.S. military that could jeopardize the future of Fort Carson, $1 billion in military spending and the vital need for troops to train, particularly in wartime.

"Do we want to send a signal to the United States Army, ‘Hey, we don’t want you in Colorado," asked Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, an Army veteran.

"We do care about the United States Army, don’t we? We do care about providing for the common defense? We do care about taking care of our troops, don’t we?" Balmer asked.

HB 1069 originally would have withdrawn state consent for the Department of Defense to use eminent domain anywhere in Colorado for military training purposes even though most legislators agreed the state has no legal authority to thwart the federal government’s right to condemn property.

But lawmakers passed two amendments, including one opposed by McKinley, that narrows the state’s opposition to expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

"This gets to the heart of the matter and says to the federal government, ‘We want you to deal with us,’ " said Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver.