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Today's Pork Report

Your Daily Dose of Outrage

Pork ju jour.

February 20, 2008

Senator Ted Stevens has released a three part video series on Congressional earmarks, which can be viewed here.

• Tens of millions of tax dollars literally washed out to sea every year with “beach nourishment” projects
• Defense contractor convicted for bribing Congressman for earmarks
• Minnesota more focused on new road projects than maintaining existing roads and bridges according to an independent audit
• Congressman says earmarking is the only way to fix aging bridges; “If and when I can get an earmark to fix this bridge, I would like them not to complain too much because it's the only way we can get the money to do it in a timely fashion.”
• Lobbyist for the University of Alaska champions a military earmark for research into the hibernation genomics of Alaskan ground squirrels
• Illinois Congressman says lack of federal funding responsible for closings and reduced services at local lake campsites; “Frankly, I think we have our priorities out of whack”

CBS 4, Florida
February 13, 2008
http://cbs4.com/consumer/beach.erosion.Dr.2.653210.html 

Millions Wasted Trying To Stop Beach Erosion

 
MIAMI (CBS4) ? Every year, tens of millions of our tax dollars literally wash out to sea. What's more, many local politicians not only approve, they actively support the practice.

"It's welfare for the rich, of course, it's absolutely welfare for the rich," Dr. Orrin Pilkey, a coastal geologist from Duke University, told CBS4 I-Team reporter Stephen Stock.

Having researched beach erosion around the world for more than three decades, Dr. Pilkey says beach re-nourishment projects waste of millions of your tax dollars every year and amount to taxpayer-supported welfare for rich beachfront property owners.

"They (private beach-front property owners) should not be allowed to protect their buildings at the cost of the public beach" says Dr. Pilkey of beach front homeowners in North Carolina and Florida.

Christian Beebe, who paid nearly 200 thousand dollars for his dream vacation home on North Carolina's Topsail Island, has a very different view than Dr. Pilkey. He says the re-nourishment projects not only restore beaches, the also protect coastal communities.

"There used to be many more houses in front of this," said Beebe, "this was strongly second row before"

Beebe says his vacation home, which used to be located blocks from the ocean, is now literally beachfront property. The home in front of Beebes', which was condemned, is now washing into the sea and Beebe is afraid his home will be next.

Dr. Pilkey said beach erosion is a natural process and doesn't empathize with those who build or buy too close an ocean's shoreline and then lose their home to Mother Nature.

"That's what it's all about. Preserving beaches for future generations," Dr. Pilkey said.

 
San Diego Union Tribune
February 19, 2008
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20080219-1439-bn19wilkes2.html
 
Wilkes sentenced to 12 years in prison

SAN DIEGO - Brent Wilkes, the Poway defense contractor who federal prosecutors contend was the mastermind behind the largest congressional bribery scheme in history, was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday. With his daughter crying behind him, he asked the court to look at his entire life and "not the picture, which I don't believe to be accurate, which the prosecution has tried to paint of me."

U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns urged Wilkes to admit his wrongdoing, something he politely refused to do.

"Today is a day to own up," Burns said. "A guy who cares at least about his family should come clean to them."

Wilkes thanked his family and friends for their support, and continued to deny guilt.

"I know they understand how helpless I've felt in the process because I couldn't speak out," he said. "Your Honor, I've always maintained my innocence and I continue to.

"I believe in the justice system and I've respected your authority, even though I've not always agreed."

Wilkes, 53, who had been free on bond, was convicted on Nov. 5 of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and money laundering in connection with the bribery scheme that brought down former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, once a highly respected war hero.

Cunningham pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison in March 2006.

Prosecutors said Wilkes' decade-long bribery of the former congressman netted him $46 million.

During Wilkes' trial, prosecutors presented evidence that he showered Cunningham, a Republican congressman from Rancho Santa Fe, with expensive meals, gifts, fancy trips, cash bribes and prostitutes.

In exchange for the gifts and bribes, Cunningham, who then held a seat on a powerful defense committee, used his influence to earmark money in budgets and steer projects that benefitted ADCS, Inc., the Poway defense contracting firm that Wilkes owned.

An investigator said in court papers that the federal government lost at least $30 million and as much as $60 million on the contracts that ADCS was involved in.

Prosecutors wanted to have Wilkes sentenced to 25 years in prison and said that at a minimum, he should be given 16 years and eight months in prison, twice the length of Cunningham's sentence.

Federal prosecutor Phil Halpern said Wilkes deserved to be punished for a longer term because his case was different from Cunningham's. He said Cunningham was a war hero who resigned from office, gave up his possessions, cooperated with the government and saddled his family with debts to accept responsibility.

Probation officials had recommended a 60-year term for Wilkes.

The judge disagreed with prosecutors who contended Wilkes masterminded the scheme, yet said he was troubled by Wilkes' demeanor in court.

"Mr. Wilkes, you have not indicated any sense of contrition to this day," he said.

"I'm not big on sending a message, but I do think people will pay attention to what happened here," Burns said.

The judge said there were troublesome aspects to this case, which demonstrated how shrewd and exploitative Wilkes was.

Mark Geragos, Wilkes' prominent defense attorney, has filed motions requesting a new trial for Wilkes based on what he described as prosecutorial misconduct and errors made by the judge.
Burns denied the motions.

"What we're talking about is trial strategy and tactics," he said. "But was it a legal error? I don't think so."

Burns also rejected Geragos' complaints that Geragos had needed more time to deal with the complex case, telling the defense lawyer the court "was bending over backward to accommodate you.
"I think you spread yourself too thin," he told the defense lawyer. "You're in high demand, but I can't do anything about that."

Angelica Martinez: (619) 293-1317; angelica.martinez@uniontrib.com

 

Worthington Daily Globe/The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
http://www.dglobe.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8UTM4EG1 

Audit adds fuel to already charged transportation debate

By BRIAN BAKST Associated Press Writer

 
ST. PAUL-- Just ahead of showdown votes on transportation spending, an independent audit describes a Minnesota road system that has deteriorated as available dollars flowed toward adding new lanes rather than fixing the 11,900 highway miles already there.

The Legislative Auditor's report released Tuesday also documents the Minnesota Department of Transportation's need for more money to conduct specialized inspections of critical bridges, better documentation of bridge repairs and attention to routine maintenance.

"There are a few bright spots, but the overall picture is not good," Auditor James Nobles said, summing the situation up as "downright grim."

His report said it would take $672 million per year alone to meet stated preservation goals for roads and bridges, far more than the $350 million now devoted to those purposes.

"The Minnesota Department of Transportation will not be able to meet its core goal without more funding," he said.

For Democrats, all that was missing from the report was the gift wrap.

They're trying to cobble together enough votes to pass a 10-year, $7.8 billion transportation spending plan over the objections of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who opposes tax increases in the bill. It would raise the gas tax by a nickel this year and a few cents more later in addition to boosting registration fees for new vehicles and increasing the sales tax in metropolitan counties.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis held the audit up as "a true call to action" ahead of floor votes on Thursday.

"They've been running this thing with baling twine and bubble gum," she said of MnDOT's stewardship of the state's highway and bridge system.

The report was ordered after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in August, although it shies away from offering answers about why the 40-year-old bridge fell into the Mississippi River. Thirteen people died and 145 were injured.

Instead, the report examines broader budget patterns and project decisions in the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The report documented how the department moved away from its "preservation first" policy.

Between 1997 and 2001, roughly 65 percent of state transportation contracts were for preservation and the rest were for expansions. The ratio shifted considerably since then and expansion projects chewed up 55 percent of the transportation dollars in the last six years.

Meanwhile, highway pavement conditions have slipped, and MnDOT predicts there will be twice as many road miles in poor condition in 2011 than there were in 2007 without a shift in focus.

The bridge picture is somewhat better. Auditors said 55 percent of Minnesota bridges were in good condition last year, compared with 51 percent in 2002. Three percent are in poor condition compared with 5 percent earlier.

The state audit notes, though, that fewer crews are doing routine maintenance due to budget restrictions. For example, in 2001, the department had six crews totaling 32 workers in the metropolitan area, with more at busier times of year. By 2007, there were five crews with 25 total workers in the same region without any extra help in the high season.

The report also said the agency doesn't adequately document how it followed up on inspectors' recommendations for upkeep.

Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau said her department is committing up to $80 million in new federal dollars a year to replace or rehabilitate major bridges and shares the concern about worsening highway pavement conditions.

"We know we're in a catchup mode, it would have been nice to have entered an agency that only had to keep up, but we are truly in a catchup mode," Molnau told Nobles, according to a transcript taken from a January interview.

On Tuesday, she told a panel of lawmakers that MnDOT needs more money, but she noted a falloff in tax revenue collected at the gas pump and said state leaders will have to "find another major source for funding transportation outside the gas tax."

If the Legislature's transportation bill becomes law, it would devote $600 million to replacing all of the state's "fracture critical" bridges by 2018. But where other new money goes would be largely up to MnDOT.

Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, asked Nobles whether lawmakers should take a more active role in parceling out dollars they approve.

"We don't typically earmark money. We generally hand over big piles of money and trust that MnDOT will spend it wisely," Simon said.

Nobles said the Legislature should consider establishing criteria that could guide MnDOT.

The 121-page report touches briefly on how best to pay for transportation projects. The auditors note the state historically did trunk highway projects on a pay-as-you-go basis, but began relying more on bonding and other debt financing in 2003.

"Given the risks associated with these finance techniques, we think it prudent for MnDOT to work with the Legislature" to set up policies on their use, the report said.

Pawlenty has proposed more borrowing this year as a way to repair aging bridges. Other than that, he hasn't presented a transportation finance plan.

The Legislative Auditor conducted a similar examination of roads and bridges in 1997, identifying a backlog of structurally deficient bridges and highlighting steel fatigue in bridges.

From the outset of this review, the audit team made clear they wouldn't give an opinion about why the I-35W bridge collapsed. They said they would leave that determination to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Besides NTSB investigators, an engineering consultant hired by MnDOT is conducting a parallel forensic probe and sharing data with the federal government. And state lawmakers have hired a law firm to investigate the state agency in the wake of the collapse.
 
 

MyFox Washington DC
Tuesday, February 19 2008
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5824778&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Some Area Bridges Scored Poorly

 They're cracking, crumbling and falling apart. Six months after the Minnesota bridge collapse - Fox 5 decided to take a hard look at the state of bridges in our [metropolitan Washington, DC] area and what we've found isn't pretty.

As they zip from the Pentagon into Arlington, few of the 67,000 drivers crossing the Washington Boulevard Bridge ever stop to actually see what's hidden underneath.

Fox 5 analyzed inspection records for more than 18,000 local bridges. The federal government gives each bridge a score based on things like age, size and amount of deterioration. If a bridge receives anything below a 50, it's eligible for replacement. You'll learn why that isn't happening at the Washington Boulevard Bridge in just a bit.

But this bridge is not alone.  Everywhere we looked in the DC area, every city, every state, we found bridges that are literally falling apart.

Here's a list of some of the worst bridges in the area:

The Fenno Road Bridge in Prince George's county - Inspectors say this 70-year-old bridge is rotten. Inspectors say some sections of the bridge have 100% section loss and give the bridge a score of 34.7.

The 11th Street Bridge at L'Enfant Plaza - 10,000 cars go over and dozens of trains go under the 43-year-old bridge each day. Much of what we touched seems to fall apart. Inspectors give this bridge a score of 32.

The 295 bridge over the Anacostia River and O Street in Southwest - This bridge is a perfect example of how little things on top can become so much bigger down below. A metal plate rattles a bit whenever a car goes over it, but when you go underneath, it makes so much noise you can barely hear yourself think. The vibration is so bad, you can see the bridge shake. There's also a pile of fallen concrete and wood blocks holding up parts of the bridge. Inspectors give this bridge a 23.

And that brings us back to the Washington Boulevard Bridge in Arlington. 18-wheelers criss-cross this bridge which prohibits heavy loads. With its giant cracks, large section loss, and stalactites, inspectors give this bridge the worst score of all: Only a 4 out of 100.

Remember, any score less than a 50 means the bridge is eligible for replacement.

Every transportation department we talked to says they inspect bridges at least once every two years and promise to shut down any bridge they think could collapse.

But each department admitted there just isn't enough money to keep up with the 1,600 bridges in our area overdue for replacement.

So we went to Congressman Jim Moran - who represents the 8th district including Arlington, the home of our lowest scoring bridge. He said, "It's got to be a priority.  And we've got to fix it and until we fix it, it's a risk."

Moran says bridges are a tough political sell because people don't seem to care about them until they fall down.

He says the best way to get a new bridge these days is to ask congress for special funding, or what's called an earmark. He says that's how we got the Wilson Bridge and he thinks that's the quickest way to replace the Washington Boulevard Bridge.

He added, "If and when I can get an earmark to fix this bridge, I would like them not to complain too much because it's the only way we can get the money to do it in a timely fashion."

Moran says it's a lot of work for just one bridge -- and there are thousands of others waiting to be fixed.

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/influence/2008/02/alaskas-home-st.html

Alaska's Home State Earmark Pride

by Jeff Horwitz

Last year’s FBI raid of Senator Ted Stevens’ home raised the prospect that Alaska’s senior statesman might become ensnared in a wide-ranging probe of Alaskan corruption. And just last week, the Anchorage Daily News published a 2,600 word investigation of a Stevens earmark that was “engineered” to help one of his former staff members salvage a soured land deal.

One thing Stevens won’t ever be accused of, however? Running away from a fight. The centerpiece of today’s edition of “Ted Stevens for Alaska,” the Senator’s monthly newsletter, is earmarks.

“Alaskans have been talking about earmarks and so has Senator Stevens,” the newsletter states, though none of the Alaskan residents that are then highlighted in video messages seems to be doing so critically. (They all represent institutions that recently received earmarks.)

“This is another great shining example where Senators Stevens has used the earmark process to invest in our youth,” says Gloria O’Neill, the head of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, of Stevens-secured funding for a project called “Hoods in the Woods.”

Martha Stewart, the federal lobbyist for the University of Alaska, champions a military earmark for research into the hibernation genomics of Alaskan ground squirrels. The work, she says, could someday lead to a way to slow down the human metabolism or help put wounded American soldiers into a state of semi-hibernation until adequate medical care can be secured. The university is well equipped to do the work, Stewart suggests:

“We have a number of ground squirrels that are in various stages of hibernation in Fairbanks,” she says.

The highlight of the newsletter, however, is video of Stevens’ own discussion with reporters about earmarks.

In interviews with the Fairbanks Daily Miner and an Anchorage AM radio station, Stevens says that earmarks don’t increase overall federal spending and describes himself as a budget hawk.

In one, he suggests that 60 percent of the earmarks Alaska has received have strengthened national security. In the other, he accuses anti-earmark advocacy groups of misleading the public and suggests that the flap over the “Bridge to Nowhere” was simply the result of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) seeking attention.

“The senator involved wanted to make a name for himself,” Stevens said.

“He did a pretty good job,” the interviewer responded.

“Yes, he has,” Stevens agreed. “After that vote, the Senator from Oklahoma said ‘You think you won but you didn’t. You watch as this reaches the blogs and the comments coming from taxpayers.’

“It was strictly for publicity,” Stevens concluded.

The Southern (Illinois)

February 20, 2008

Costello, Shimkus vow to restore some Rend Lake funding

CARTERVILLE — Congressman Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, addressed federal budget cuts that are responsible for closings and reduced services at campsites at Rend Lake at 11:40 a.m. today in Carterville City Hall.

Costello said he and Congressman John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, are going to support an appropriations bill shortly to see funding returned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake, who face a $615,000-cut in FY08. Since the cuts, the corps has had to close down the South Marcum site and reduce services to Gun Creek, the visitor center, South Sandusky and North Sandusky sites.

“There will be no guarantee and no promise we’ll be able to restore all funding,” Costello said.

Costello assured that despite the uncertainty, he and Shimkus will be doing everything they can to soften the blow.

He blamed the federal government’s spending on the war in Iraq as being a major factor for cuts to the region. He said funding spent there is taking away from local support.

“Frankly, I think we have our priorities out of whack,” Costello said.