Glenn Laken lends insight into funding for 2011 tranpsortation projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 15, 2010 -- Members of the Congress are seeking nearly $1 billion in funding for pet transportation projects in a massive government spending bill, maintaining a tradition of bringing home "pork" for road and transit.Members of the Congress are seeking nearly $1 billion in funding for pet transportation projects in a massive government spending bill.

In all, there were an estimated 6,600 individual spending requests totaling more than $8 billion in the catch-all fiscal 2011 budget bill unveiled by the Senate on Tuesday.

Some requests from the senators included other lawmakers, and were for various road, rail, transit and bridge projects.Historically, military-related, energy and water, and transportation projects have topped the list for earmarks.

One of the most notorious earmarks in recent years involved $200 million in 2005 for an Alaska project dubbed by critics as the "Bridge to Nowhere." The money was never spent and the project was canceled.

Compared to most methods of sending transportation dollars to states, earmarks do not have formulas or allocations designed to ensure accountability.There are no assurances a project will be built or jobs created.

Transportation Department analysis in 2007 showed few earmarks are vetted by relevant agencies or states.

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