Mike Rogers: Update on Earmarks for FY2008

The Livingston Press & Argus has an update on Mike Rogers' earmark requests for the 2008 budget. Here is a list of the projects that were approved:

• Rogers asked for $2.5 million for the Latson Road interchange at Interstate 96, but the bill approved by the committee contained only $500,000.
• He asked for $11.2 million for a runway extension at the Capital City Airport in Lansing, but he received $500,000 in the bill.
• Rogers’ request for $400,000 for the United Way of Southeast Mich-igan for programs to help recently released prisoners learn job skills ballooned to $675,000 in the bill to fund the Commerce, Justice and Science departments.
• The bill funding energy programs contained $500,000 for Lansing company MBI Inter-national’s research into biomass processing, down from the original request of $2 million.
• $250,000 for Intermediary Bio-Chemicals of Okemos for re-search on emerging technology to displace petroleum-based chemistry, was down from the original request of $1 million.

According to the P&A, "the Defense appropriation bill, in which Rogers has several earmarks, has not been considered yet."

Remember, on June 15 Mike Rogers wrote an op-ed for the Lansing State Journal, and said "every dollar the federal government spends should be vetted, offered in a transparent way, and open for debate. If we turn the lights on the earmark process, we can work to protect Americans against the abuse that has brought us considerable misuse of the public's hard-earned dollars."

While Rogers has shared a list of his earmark requests for the 2008 budget with the media, none of them are posted on his congressional website. Similarly, Rep. Rogers has yet to share a complete list of every earmark he has ever requested while serving as a member of Congress, as was requested on June 18.