The GAO notes that the estimated cost of the Pinion Canyon land has doubled, according to the Gazette:
An additional 100,000 acres in Las Animas County could cost the Army $52 million or more, nearly double the initial estimate of $280 an acre, the report by the investigative arm of Congress said. It's the first time the amount the Army expects to pay has been revealed to the public.
The cost is going up because the Army has pledged to buy land only from people willing to sell, which means property owners can expect to be paid more, the GAO said.
But…on the other hand:
The Accountability Office shrugged off Army requests for it to ignore the increase in Army price estimates to acquire the ranchland it seeks. The Army has refused to talk price because officials fear driving up values.
The investigators want the Army to better explain why the cost is going up
Elementary, my dear Watson. By imposing a willing seller requirement on the Army, Mark Udall and company have made the land priceless. My guess is that the Army will end up paying $3,000 an acre for land they should have been able to get for one tenth that amount.
Care to bet that the GAO won’t be so picky about the trillion dollar giveaway this year?
But, our new anti-war Senator doesn't want the Army to have the land until they explain to his satisfaction why they need it.
"While I appreciate that the Army answered many of the questions that it was required to provide to the GAO, I've made clear that the Army must first prove why it needs this additional land at Piñon Canyon," Udall said. "Until it can do so, no funds for expansion should be appropriated."
He will prove to be difficult, if not impossible to satisfy. Soldiers will pay with their lives in future wars for lack of training while Mark Udall ducks responsibility.
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