Zach Wamp Leads Tennessee House Delegation in Earmarks

According to a new database released by Taxpayers for Common Sense, Rep. Zach Wamp is at the top of Tennessee's class when it comes to securing earmarks in the FY2009 Omnibus spending bill. The congressman, who has been a-Twitter about President Obama's spending plans and tried in vain to head a committee on earmark reform last year, now leads the Tennessee House delegation as the sole sponsor of 12 earmarks totaling $6,099,000. He is also listed as a co-sponsor of another four projects, bringing his total to $10,878,000. By comparison, Senator Bob Corker is credited with only one sponsored earmark of $760,000. When co-sponsored projects are taken into account, Sen. Corker jumps ahead with 16 earmark projects totaling $17,716,500. Listed below are the amounts and descriptions for each of the 12 projects credited to Rep. Wamp:

$500,000 — Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District

$500,000 — East Tennessee Development District, Anderson ($275,000) and Union ($225,000) Counties, Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements

$700,000 — The Enterprise Center in Tennessee

$1,187,500 — Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, Relocate and Reconstruct Taxiway, TN

$570,000 — Chattanooga to Nashville High Speed Ground Transportation Corridor, Chattanooga, TN

$237,500 — City of Oak Ridge, TN for redevelopment of the Highland View Neighborhood

$380,000 — Hamilton County, TN for construction of a workforce training center that will support industries locating at Enterprise South

$328,000 — Cleveland State Community College, Cleveland, TN for the Energy Efficient Residential Construction program, including curriculum development and purchase of equipment

$433,000 — Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN for facilities and equipment

$523,000 — St. Mary's Jefferson Memorial Hospital, Jefferson City, TN for equipment

$2,400,000 — Tennessee Bureau of Investigation TN Statewide Methamphetamine Task Force

$550,000 — City of Chattanooga Law Enforcement Training Center

Listed below is the amount and description for the project credited to Sen. Bob Corker:

$760,000 — Memphis Bioworks Foundation, TN for construction of the UT-Baptist Research Park in the downtown Memphis Medical Center

For more information, download the full spreadsheet. (via: TaxingTennessee)

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