Pueblo Chieftain - Schaffer Kicks Off Swing Through Southern Colorado

News Article

Pueblo Chieftain - Schaffer Kicks Off Swing Through Southern Colorado

Republican Senate candidate voices opposition to Pinon expansion but is undecided on water storage legislation.

On a four-day campaign swing through Southern Colorado, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate Bob Schaffer on Wednesday sided with some area residents on one issue but dodged another.

Schaffer, who kicked off his tour in Pueblo, reiterated his opposition to the Army's expansion plans at the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

"The Army has made no compelling argument in favor of expansion," he said.

However, Schaffer would not commit to blocking plans to move more water out of the Arkansas River to Colorado Springs and the Denver area.

Asked if he would support federal legislation to increase the storage capacity at Lake Pueblo in order to provide water to Colorado Springs, Schaffer said he couldn't commit to such a measure. "I'm in the middle of a campaign," he said. "The last thing I'm going to do is say I'm absolutely going to vote against a water proposal. There's no way I'm going to lock myself into a position."

Should Schaffer defeat Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., in the November election, he could be faced with a vote on another attempt to increase the height of the Pueblo dam in order to provide more water to Colorado Springs.

Critics worry that it just will mean more effluent coming down Fountain Creek. Schaffer did say, "There are a number of investments the federal government may make to mitigate those conditions."

Schaffer has come under fire for his ties to the oil and gas industry, and recently his former employer, Aspect Energy, was criticized by the U.S. State Department for a deal with the Kurdistan regional government, bypassing the Iraqi government.

He acknowledged that U.S. officials in Baghdad did not want U.S. oil companies doing business directly with the Kurds, but said that under the country's new federal system, such a working relationship was allowed.

On the domestic front, Schaffer said he would like to see action taken immediately to develop more energy supplies in the United States, including offshore drilling and more renewable energy sources.

While skeptics point out that any of those efforts would take years to impact supply, Schaffer said they would have an immediate effect on the futures markets, which he said cause much of the high prices for gasoline.

Schaffer also blamed the government's weak dollar strategy, which he said had been aimed at keeping people employed, as another cause for the higher price of gasoline.

While opposing the Pinon Canyon expansion, Schaffer said he would support taking the Pueblo Chemical Depot off the base realignment and closure list if a new mission could be found. The base has languished on the BRAC list for 20 years, unable to close because of an unmovable stockpile of chemical weapons. Promoters of its reuse authority are hoping that it will serve support functions for Fort Carson.

Source