The case of the $10-million congressional appropriation for a road in Florida that mysteriously found its way into a transportation funding bill gets curiouser and curiouser. Nearly three years after the bill was enacted, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, has finally been shamed into explaining his role in the process, but his speech on the floor of the House this week was a self-serving, exculpatory declaration that raises more questions than it answers.
Crucial facts
Rep. Young has acknowledged responsibility for the so-called ''earmark,'' which shifted $10 million pledged to help widen Interstate 75 to a study for a highway interchange that would link Coconut Road in Lee County to I-75. At the time, he was the powerful head of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Two crucial facts to keep in mind:
• The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization, citing environmental issues, twice voted against starting a study of the proposed I-75 interchange. The original version approved by Congress was for ''widening and improvements for I-75,'' and that's what county officials thought they were getting until the wording in the bill was changed -- after both the House and Senate voted on it.
• On Feb. 19, 2005, just a few months before the funding was approved, Rep. Young had been in Bonita Springs and collected $40,000 in campaign funds. The contributors included developer Daniel Aronoff, a Republican supporter and owner of about 4,000 acres along Coconut Road. The value of that land would be enhanced by building the Coconut Road interchange.
Rep. Young says he did nothing wrong, adding that the interchange would improve hurricane-evacuation routes. He also sought to excuse himself by saying that the change occurred in the ''enrollment process'' -- when language is ironed out by staffers to fix technical problems -- ''and that is not a process I own or control.'' Indeed, technical changes are often made during enrollment, but of the 6,373 earmarks in the bill, this was the only one that underwent any substantive changes.
Abuse of power
Moreover, Rep. Young's staffers have said they made the change, presumably on the orders of their boss. At one time, Rep. Young even warned Lee County officials against using the $10 million for the original widening purpose. This week, Congress passed a ''corrections bill'' that restores the original purpose of the funds.
The House and Senate also voted to ask for an FBI investigation into the matter, which reeks of abuse of power. Better late than never. The House should have sought an Ethics Committee inquiry when the funding came to light last year, but that's probably too much to expect from a Congress where abuses of power are all too frequent and usually go unpunished.
