Washington 6 Jan2009

President-elect Barack Obama pledged Tuesday that he will not allow lawmakers to insert any "earmarks," or Congressional pet projects, into his massive economic recovery package proposal.

    Renewable energy and new energy infrastructure will figure prominently in the program estimated $850 billion or more and also expected to include $330 billion in individual and business tax cuts.

    "We're not having earmarks in the recovery package. Period," Obama told reporters following a meeting with his top economic advisers. He added that the move will increase transparency and that he will also allow the public to track how tax dollars are being spent in an online database.

    Earmarks, which are member-requested projects not limited to energy spending, are common in energy and other appropriations bills.

    Obama sat down with his economic advisers, including Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner, National Economic Adviser Lawrence Summers and Peter Orszag, Obama's pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget.

    Obama said that he wanted to create an Economic Recovery Oversight Board made up of administration officials and independent advisers to oversee that those funds are used wisely.

Where is this "Economic Recovery Oversight Board"?

According to No Pork Obama, these are not earmarks:

$   34 million For remodeling the Department of Commerce headquarters
$ 150 million Spent on honey bee insurance
$    20 million For removal of small to medium-sized fish passage barriers                
$ 650 million For digital TV coupons
$ 335 millionfor STD prevention
$    50 million in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.
$    44 millionfor repairs to U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters.
$    21 million for sod for the National Mall
$ 4 BILLION assistance for "nonprofit entities including ACORN, currently under criminal investigation for paying people to fill out registration forms for Donald Duck
$    87 million for 1 new icebreaker ship to be used in the Arctic. Where is the ice anyway?
$   4.8 million polar bear exhibit at the Providence, Rhode Island, zoo.
$   1.5 million for a water ride at the Grapeland Water Park in Miami Fla.
$   20 million minor league baseball museum in Durham, North Carolina
$   6.1 million for corporate jet hangars at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, airport
$   20 million for renovations at the Philadelphia Zoo
$   1.5 million program to reduce prostitution in Dayton, Ohio.
$ 376.5 million for aquatic centers, museums, bike paths, zoos, skateboard parks, dog and equestrian parks, police department stun guns, tree planting and murals.

Change we can believe in