Story says Stevens earmark funds a “Ferry to Nowhere.”A Roll Call story posted today says that a $20 million, Ted Stevens-authored earmark included in a new defense spending measure “could be a financial boon for those close to the lawmaker, including several figures in a high-profile federal political corruption probe in Alaska.” The Capitol Hill newspaper says the earmark penned by the Alaska senator is listed as being for a Navy “expeditionary craft,” but the vessel will be used as a commercial ferry on Knik Arm, linking Anchorage and Mat-Su. “Several current and former members of Stevens’ staff - including Chief of Staff George Lowe and former top aide Lisa Sutherland - as well as Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) son-in-law Art Nelson own undeveloped land on the Knik Arm,” the story says. In looking at the background of the spending item, the story points out that while the Navy rejected the craft as impractical, Stevens persisted for years in pushing funding for it. Further, while other earmarks in the defense measure were hit with cuts, the ferry earmark remained untouched. |
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