Executive, Not Earmarks, Should Guide Infrastructure

Governors Rendell and Schwarzenegger are imploring President Obama to take the lead on national infrastructure policy, rather than allowing earmarks to guide projects.

1 minute read

April 13, 2009, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"At a meeting with the president last month, the two governors and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg discussed the memo they had sent to the White House, a draft of which reads: 'It is very important that the administration be proactive rather than left reacting to congressional proposals.'"

"In the coming months, Congress will consider a bill to set aside as much as $450 billion for highway and other infrastructure projects over a span of six years. House aides said members of Congress intended to insert special projects, or earmarks, into the bill, despite warnings from Obama that he wanted to rein in such spending."

"As yet, the Senate has not decided how it will handle earmarks in the bill, said an aide to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee."

"Rendell cautioned in an interview that if the bill was larded with earmarks, it could jeopardize the political consensus needed to modernize the nation's network of roads."

Monday, April 13, 2009 in Los Angeles Times

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A Metro bus drives down a street on a rainy day. Parallel to the bus is a line of parked cars, then, a line of umbrellas.

LA Metro’s ultimatum: no extra buses for LA28 if federal funding isn’t imminently secured

If Metro does not provide additional buses, LA28 organizers will have to find a new way to manage Olympic traffic. LA28’s budget does not include a line item for transit.

5 seconds ago - LAist

Geese flock to a frozen pond in Aurora, Colorado. There are houses in the background.

Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing

The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.

1 hour ago - Capital & Main

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

September 16 - Inside Climate News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.