McNerney on releasing earmark requests: "I came to Washington on a campaign of openness and ethics"

Following up on his campaign promise to provide transparent and accountable representation to his constituents, Congressman Jerry McNerney has released his list of "earmarks" -- federal funding requests that congressional members make to pay for projects in their home districts.

Lisa Vorderbrueggen covers the story for the Contra Costa Times:

The House of Representatives passed ethics reforms in January that require earmarks to carry the sponsoring member's name when they appear in appropriations bills. But the rule does not mandate that members individually release their requests.

McNerney said he released his list because "I came to Washington on a campaign of openness and ethics. ... I thought I would put the list out there and let people judge for themselves."

While some earmarks, like the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," have been singled out as wasteful federal spending, most earmarks are legitimate requests for important projects related to maintaining and providing important services to constituents.

Indeed, there are several projects that Congressman McNerney has requested that would improve living conditions in the 11th Congressional District, including a groundwater cleanup project in Lodi. As Ross Farrow of the Lodi News-Sentinel reports:

Two funding proposals would directly benefit the city of Lodi, while others would benefit the region as a whole.

The city could get $1 million to help finance the cleanup of Lodi's groundwater, which is tainted with PCE and TCE contamination, and another $500,000 toward a police/fire training center at the proposed San Joaquin Delta College satellite campus off Victor Road.

Other McNerney funding requests cited by the News-Sentinel include:

•  Computer improvements for patients at Lodi Memorial Hospital, $400,000.
•  San Joaquin County agriculture center in Stockton, $1 million.
•  Water storage project for Mokelumne River to recharge groundwater in eastern San Joaquin County, $1 million.
•  Construction of infrastructure for the Groundwater Recharge Project for eastern San Joaquin County, $1 million.
•  Equipment for San Joaquin County's Emergency Operations Center, $200,000.
•  Tests for effectiveness of Delta levees, $1 million.
•  Bicycle/pedestrian path along the old Central California Traction line, $400,000.
•  New computer-assisted telephone interviewing laboratory for the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific, $400,000.
•  Enhancement of the Pacific Natural Resources Institute at University of the Pacific, $500,000.
•  Two grade levels added to the San Joaquin County A+ Program, a reading improvement program throughout the county, $500,000.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ellen Tauscher has placed an earmark tutorial on her Web site that, according to Vorderbrueggen, "spells out the uncertain fate of earmarks. Many will never survive the arduous journey to the president's desk."

While the great majority of earmark requests are never funded, spokesman Andy Stone told the News-Sentinel that "Congressman McNerney is hopeful that some of these requests will be funded."