Chaffetz ends personal ban on earmarks

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, on Thursday lifted his own ban on seeking earmarks.

He released final criteria he said he developed to allow transparently seeking earmarks that are appropriate and wise, and not like the unfair, too-specific, pork-barrel earmarks of others that he criticized as it helped him unseat former Rep. Chris Cannon.

"I intend to use this analytical framework to evaluate each and every appropriation request I receive," Chaffetz said, after revising a draft framework that he has accepted comments on for two months.

"Today I submit to the people of Utah a document distinguishing between abused earmarks and legitimate appropriation requests. This framework is a first step toward changing the way business is done by restoring integrity to the appropriations process in Washington, D.C.," he said.

Of course, Chaffetz defeated Cannon in part by criticizing his earmarks that ordered federal agencies to fund local, specific projects. Then he made headlines by refusing to seek any himself at first this year, while the rest of the Utah delegation did.

However, Chaffetz caught some flak from local officials who said his refusal to push earmarks hurt local projects in the fight for federal funding.

So he developed his new policy that, in essence, says he will seek earmarks only for public entities, not private corporations, and only for previously authorized projects that have some tie to federal purposes, or to help local governments with unfunded federal mandates.

He said that would have prevented some earmarks he criticized when he was a candidate.

"The $750,000 appropriation that I criticized for the parking lot in Provo? That would not have made it through this process. There is no federal nexus," or purpose, for that earmark request made by Cannon, he said.

Also, he said Cannon "had an appropriation for L-3 Communications," a defense contractor. "That would not make it through my process. It would be dismissed before it even got to my desk because we're not going to appropriate for private companies," which he said should bid with others for approved projects.

Chaffetz insisted he is not going back on any campaign promises.

"What I said (during the campaign) is I wouldn't ask for any earmarks until there was openness, transparency and reform," he said.

e-mail: lee@desnews.com