A top Army civilian said today that the Army will purchase land to expand Pinon Canyon only from "willing sellers" and that it is "very, very unlikely" that condemnation will be used for those purchases.

Keith Eastin, assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment, said that if the Army can acquire 100,000 acres on the south end of the existing maneuver site, it probably would not return to ask for any more land in the near future.

Despite a congressional limitation, the Army is moving forward with a planned expansion of its Piñon Canyon training site and Thursday refused to reject condemnation as a tool for acquiring land, congressional aides said.

The Army wants to buy 100,000 acres just south of the current maneuver site with money it will seek from Congress through 2012, it said in a report delivered Thursday to the two senators from Colorado.

Lawmakers in Colorado's congressional delegation who thought they had blocked the Army's expansion plan said Thursday they were studying their options.

A proposal to expand the federal Ski Area Permit Act to recognize winter sports beyond alpine and nordic skiing and promote summer recreation is drawing concern from environmental groups.

The draft bill by U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, is aimed at updating the 1986 law to reflect the changing nature of ski resorts operating on U.S. Forest Service land.

"My bill would make it clear that activities like mountain biking, concerts and other appropriate uses can be allowed at these ski areas," Udall said in a statement.

Environmental groups say they are worried that the language in the draft is too broad.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, is vice-chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She's been working on food safety legislation that she said could hit the floor this month. The Denver Post asked DeGette what she wants changed about regulations affecting spinach, tomatoes, meat and other foods that have caused illnesses. 

Q: In your view, what are the biggest problems with our food system?

A: The food inspection system is basically broken. First of all, we have an antiquated and underfunded food inspection system in this country. Secondly, our agencies don't really have the resources they need to deal with food inspection in today's global economy.

Q: In what ways is it antiquated? What are the shortcomings?

DA: The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not have the authority it needs to recall contaminated food. It also does not have the ability to trace the source of contamination in food. Those are both issues that I have been working on.

As oil prices hit a record high Thursday, Senate Republicans offered energy legislation that proposes a combination of production and conservation efforts, including developing oil shale in the Rocky Mountain West.

The bill, however, could be dead on arrival.

"It's laughable that these guys would call for lengthy debate in July when they spent the entire month of June running away from energy legislation," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reacting to Focus on the Family leader James Dobson’s comments on Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Ken Salazar said today that Obama is “a man of

Two U.S. Congressmen from Colorado drew attention today over campaign contributions and their votes on retroactive immunity for

The fight over energy and how to lower gas prices threw the Rocky Mountain West into the spotlight Wednesday when President Bush urged Congress to repeal a moratorium on the development of oil shale.

In a speech that spurred protests from Democratic leaders and environmentalists, Bush called for harvesting oil from shale rock found in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The president also advocated drilling for oil in coastal waters and the Alaskan wilderness, saying the tight supply is pushing up gas prices.

The Army would be banned for another year from spending money toward expanding its Pinon Canyon training site under language now in a U.S. House spending bill, but support for the measure in the Senate isn't assured, reports Anne Mulkern.

Sen. Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, today didn't immediately sign on to back the House measure from his brother, Rep. John Salazar, a Manassa Democrat and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a Fort Morgan Republican.

Stephanie Valencia, a spokeswoman for Sen. Salazar, said he is awaiting the results of an Army study examining why the expansion is needed. Salazar and Republican Wayne Allard asked for that report, expected in the end of July. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, will review it.

U.S. Rep. Mark Udall over the last year repeatedly advocated and voted for tax breaks for power companies that use renewable sources. His wife invested in a green energy-stock fund, reports Anne Mulkern.

Maggie Fox last year purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Wilderhill Clean Energy, according to a financial disclosure released Monday.

Fox also held between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of Progress Energy Inc., a Fortune 250 energy company pursuing renewable energy technologies. Most of the electricity it produces, however, still comes from oil, gas and coal.