North Dakota second in the nation in earmarks per capita

North Dakota once again ranks as one of the top states to receive earmark dollars per capita – coming in at No. 2 for fiscal year 2010, a recent analysis from a government watchdog group shows.

Earmarks are dollars designated for specific projects often advocated for and secured by members of Congress.

In its annual report, Taxpayers for Common Sense attributes North Dakota’s continually high ranking to the level of influence its Democratic congressional delegation wields.

But that’s not likely to be the same next year because of Byron Dorgan’s retirement from the U.S. Senate at the end of 2010, the report states.

Dorgan is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Water and Energy Development. In that position, Dorgan has secured millions of dollars for state projects including flood protection, rural water development and university research.

Taxpayers for Common Sense previously ranked North Dakota fifth and third in earmarks per capita for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Dorgan said earmarks are often money owed to the state under federal agreements, such as in flood protection projects, and called the dollars “very important investments in the future of North Dakota.”

Through its analysis of spending, Taxpayers for Common Sense seeks to increase the transparency of where taxpayer dollars go, President Ryan Alexander said in a statement.

“The increased earmark transparency in recent years reveals a troubling pattern during difficult budget times,” Alexander said. “High levels of special interest spending remain, and powerful lawmakers are hoarding cash for their districts while the rest of the Congress fights for table scraps.”

Dorgan disagrees with the group’s view of earmark spending.

“The reason they call them earmarks is to implicitly to suggest that they are unworthy, and that’s simply not the case,” Dorgan said. “These are wonderful investments in North Dakota’s future. … Part of them are investments we are owed, and part of them deal with flood control and building jobs.

“If they don’t think those are wise investments, then we have a real disagreement,” he said.

In its annual report, Taxpayers for Common Sense cites Alaska as an example of how quickly per capita earmark totals can change, which could be a fate North Dakota sees in the near future.

Alaska ranked lower for 2010 than it has previously, because – the report says – the state lost Republican Sen. Ted Stevens’ position on the Appropriations Committee.

Alaska’s junior senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, now holds a seat on the committee, but “there’s a big difference in her ability to garner earmarks as the most junior Republican compared to Stevens as one of the panel’s most senior Republicans.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has already promised North Dakota Republican Gov. John Hoeven a seat on the Appropriations Committee if he wins the state’s Senate seat in November.

But if Alaska is an accurate example, “this may be a warning sign for North Dakota” in the state’s ability to rake in future earmark dollars with a junior senator on the committee, the report states.

Dorgan said he’s proud of the investments he’s made to help North Dakota, but his retirement will allow him to pursue other interests outside the Senate.

“I leave behind two really extraordinary legislators – (Sen.) Kent Conrad and (Rep.) Earl Pomeroy – and they will continue to do a good job for the state,” Dorgan said.

However, in Pomeroy’s case, the report indicates that, while he ranks highly in total earmark dollars earned with help from other members of Congress, the North Dakota representative secured only one individual earmark, worth $200,000.

“There are many instances where a House member’s joint earmark number is almost entirely the result of a strong in-state senator,” the report states. “Nowhere is this more evident than North Dakota.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota had the second-least amount of earmarks per capita. In previous years, the state ranked in the middle nationwide.

Top 10 states receiving the most earmark dollars per capita

1. Hawaii: $318.26 per capita. $412.2 million overall.

2. North Dakota: $233.60 per capita. $151.1 million overall.

3. West Virginia: $173.74 per capita. $316.2 million overall.

4. Vermont: $161.46 per capita. $100.4 million overall.

5. Mississippi: $141.91 per capita. $418.9 million overall.

6. Alaska: $139.77 per capita. $97.6 million overall.

7. Montana: $124.77 per capita. $121.7 million overall.

8. South Dakota: $112.21 per capita. $91.2 million overall.

9. Rhode Island: $79.13 per capita. $83.3 million overall.

10. Nevada: $79.07 per capita. $209 million overall.

(49. Minnesota: $13.09 per capita. $68.9 million overall. )

EARMARK FACTS

•Nine of the top 10 states receiving the most earmarks per capita had a representative on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The remaining state, Nevada, is represented by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

•55 percent of North Dakota’s earmarks came from the Energy and Water appropriations bill, which comes from the Senate subcommittee Byron Dorgan heads.

•Fargo drew $28.6 million in earmark funding. About

89 percent of those dollars benefited North Dakota State University programs.

•Grand Forks drew $31.5 million in earmark funding. About 72 percent of those dollars benefited University of North Dakota programs.

•Moorhead received only one earmark, worth $500,000 for city road improvements.

Source: Taxpayers for Common Sense analysis of earmark appropriations during fiscal year 2010.