ProPublica Eye on the Stimulus

Stimulus Fixin’ to Be a Fight in Texas

The White House will release a state-by-state overview of infrastructure spending this afternoon. But Texas lawmakers are already feuding over how it will be spent.

House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam lashed out at Texas Department of Transportation officials at a hearing Monday, saying that the state might have violated the law by failing to direct the stimulus money to economically distressed areas, according to the Associated Press.

TxDOT released a list last week showing how it will spend the first $500 million in road and bridge projects, and it is expected to vote Thursday on how to allocate $1.2 billion more.

Under the heading for $27.5 billion in highway funding, the American Recovery and Reinvestement Act says:

In selecting projects to be carried out with funds apportioned under this heading, priority shall be given to projects that are projected for completion within a 3-year time frame, and are located in economically distressed areas…

“I don’t know how you give priority on a decision after the fact, which is what you’re telling me y’all are fixing to do,” Dunnam told TxDOT officials, according to The Texas Observer. “And we’re going to have egg all over everyone’s faces if the [U.S.] Department of Transportation says they want $500 million back.”

But a TxDOT spokesman told the AP that Dunnam may be misunderstanding the law.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, others are complaining that more than $700 million in stimulus money could go to toll roads, the Houston Chronicle reports.

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The Environmental Costs of Economic Stimulus

Environmental regulations might take a back seat in some states as lawmakers struggle to create new jobs and boost their local economies, reports the Associated Press.

In California, lawmakers relaxed environmental laws for road projects and construction equipment in the name of economic stimulus as part of a recently approved budget package. In Idaho, lawmakers shut down new regulations for septic-tank drain fields because they feared it would hinder Idaho’s economy, especially during a recession.

Utah is even considering a company’s offer to take nuclear waste in exchange for needed cash. In Kansas, lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would pave the way for coal-fired power plants in the southwest part of the state — though Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has promised a veto.

“Nobody is out to trash the environment,” Montana state Sen. Greg Barkus told the AP. “But we need to move. This economy is scaring the dickens out of me, and a lot of other people.”

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How Much Stimulus Money Will Your City Get for Housing?

The first details are trickling out on how thousands of cities stand to benefit from the stimulus package. Housing and Urban Development has released city breakdowns for each of its major programs.

For example, the New Orleans Housing Authority will get $34.5 million to modernize and develop public housing. Elkhart, Ind., will get $3 million to reduce lead paint. And Los Angeles will get $29.5 million to prevent homelessness.

You can find all the Excel spreadsheets here:

• Project-Based Rental Assistance
• Community Development Block Grants
• Lead Hazard Reduction
• Homelessness Prevention
• Tax Credit Assistance
• Native American Housing Block Grants
• Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grants

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Will Abandoned Mine Cleanup Bring Jobs to the West?

Here’s a great story on how the economic stimulus package will be used to cleanup abandoned mines from former Fort Worth Star-Telegram environmental reporter Scott Streater.

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New Features on Recovery.gov

Recovery.gov has added a few new features. The government Web site tracking the stimulus now has a map of state Web sites and a list of agency Web sites on the recovery package. So far, three governors - from Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin - have certified that they will request funds to create jobs and spur economic growth.

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