Mercury News: Bay Area mouse spurs national debate over stimulus bill
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Feb 14, 2009, 2:51:52 PM2/14/09
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Bay Area mouse spurs national debate over stimulus bill
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Posted: 02/12/2009 05:02:21 PM PST
t was the mouse that roared.
A 1-inch-tall endangered rodent found in the marshes of San Jose and
other San Francisco Bay Area cities became a national symbol of
wasteful spending Thursday for opponents of President Barack Obama's
stimulus plans.
"Pork for Rats?" CNN trumpeted. "Pelosi's mouse slated for $30M slice
of cheese," proclaimed the Washington Times.
Trouble is, the facts were mostly wrong. But the lightning speed of
Internet news enabled it to take on urban legend stature within hours.
The tale began Wednesday, when Michael Steel, a spokesman for House
Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent an e-mail to reporters and
political leaders that noted Republican staff members have been asking
federal agencies how they would spend the stimulus money.
"One response? Thirty million dollars for wetland restoration in the
San Francisco Bay Area — including work to protect the Salt Marsh
Harvest Mouse," wrote Steel.
The Washington Times then wrote a story citing Steel and claiming that
$30 million for the mouse project is contained in the bill. The paper
suggested the money was put there by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San
Francisco. Blogger Matt Drudge, whose Web site receives 26 million
hits a day, posted a link to that story.
And by midday Thursday, the tiny salt marsh harvest mouse — and
Democratic supporters of the stimulus bill — had been ridiculed by
hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer on Fox News; Rep. Mike Pence, R-
Indiana, on CNN; MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and by bloggers from coast
to coast.
Steel, however, said The Washington Times story is incorrect.
"There is no language in the bill that says this money will go to this
project," Steel told the Mercury News. "There are large pots of money
in the bill that go to various agencies. One of those agencies said
the salt marsh harvest mouse project is something we'd do if you gave
us the money."
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hamill agreed that funding for the mouse is not
in the bill, and said she did not lobby for it to be on any list.
Then where did the $30 million figure come from, if it's not in the
bill? It turns out that $30 million is the total amount that the
California Coastal Conservancy, a state agency, recommended more than
a month ago to numerous federal agencies looking for lists of "shovel
ready" projects as part of the stimulus bill planning.
The conservancy's wish list included five major ongoing wetlands
restoration projects totaling nearly 4,000 acres, said civil engineer
Steve Ritchie, a Coastal Conservancy staff member who helped draw it
up. And the federal Army Corps of Engineers included all five projects
on its own list of possible ways to spend stimulus money.
The projects, which range from Napa County to Silicon Valley, involve
moving levees, creating islands and converting former industrial salt
ponds back to marshes. Each could begin by year's end and would
benefit dozens of species, including salmon, steelhead trout, ducks,
egrets, and yes, the endangered mouse, Ritchie said.
The work also would provide increased flood protection to homes and
businesses around San Francisco Bay, he said. In 2003, the Bush
administration endorsed and helped fund the largest of the projects,
the purchase of former Cargill salt ponds for wetlands restoration.
"This isn't school kids planting little sprigs of plants. We are
talking about thousands of acres, building levees and islands with
heavy equipment," Ritchie said. "It's at least 100 new jobs."
Even if the stimulus passes, there's no guarantee the projects will
get the money, since they're not named in the bill. That will be up to
the Army Corps of Engineers, which does everything from harbor
dredging to building dams to restoring wetlands.
Is Ritchie upset his "wish list" became a national punching bag?
"In the atmosphere we're in you expect it," Ritchie said. "But the
disappointing part is that this isn't just about one creature. It's
about jobs, construction, flood control — there's a lot there."
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11691846?nclick_check=1
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
Posted: 02/12/2009 05:02:21 PM PST
t was the mouse that roared.
A 1-inch-tall endangered rodent found in the marshes of San Jose and
other San Francisco Bay Area cities became a national symbol of
wasteful spending Thursday for opponents of President Barack Obama's
stimulus plans.
"Pork for Rats?" CNN trumpeted. "Pelosi's mouse slated for $30M slice
of cheese," proclaimed the Washington Times.
Trouble is, the facts were mostly wrong. But the lightning speed of
Internet news enabled it to take on urban legend stature within hours.
The tale began Wednesday, when Michael Steel, a spokesman for House
Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent an e-mail to reporters and
political leaders that noted Republican staff members have been asking
federal agencies how they would spend the stimulus money.
"One response? Thirty million dollars for wetland restoration in the
San Francisco Bay Area — including work to protect the Salt Marsh
Harvest Mouse," wrote Steel.
The Washington Times then wrote a story citing Steel and claiming that
$30 million for the mouse project is contained in the bill. The paper
suggested the money was put there by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San
Francisco. Blogger Matt Drudge, whose Web site receives 26 million
hits a day, posted a link to that story.
And by midday Thursday, the tiny salt marsh harvest mouse — and
Democratic supporters of the stimulus bill — had been ridiculed by
hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer on Fox News; Rep. Mike Pence, R-
Indiana, on CNN; MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and by bloggers from coast
to coast.
Steel, however, said The Washington Times story is incorrect.
"There is no language in the bill that says this money will go to this
project," Steel told the Mercury News. "There are large pots of money
in the bill that go to various agencies. One of those agencies said
the salt marsh harvest mouse project is something we'd do if you gave
us the money."
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hamill agreed that funding for the mouse is not
in the bill, and said she did not lobby for it to be on any list.
Then where did the $30 million figure come from, if it's not in the
bill? It turns out that $30 million is the total amount that the
California Coastal Conservancy, a state agency, recommended more than
a month ago to numerous federal agencies looking for lists of "shovel
ready" projects as part of the stimulus bill planning.
The conservancy's wish list included five major ongoing wetlands
restoration projects totaling nearly 4,000 acres, said civil engineer
Steve Ritchie, a Coastal Conservancy staff member who helped draw it
up. And the federal Army Corps of Engineers included all five projects
on its own list of possible ways to spend stimulus money.
The projects, which range from Napa County to Silicon Valley, involve
moving levees, creating islands and converting former industrial salt
ponds back to marshes. Each could begin by year's end and would
benefit dozens of species, including salmon, steelhead trout, ducks,
egrets, and yes, the endangered mouse, Ritchie said.
The work also would provide increased flood protection to homes and
businesses around San Francisco Bay, he said. In 2003, the Bush
administration endorsed and helped fund the largest of the projects,
the purchase of former Cargill salt ponds for wetlands restoration.
"This isn't school kids planting little sprigs of plants. We are
talking about thousands of acres, building levees and islands with
heavy equipment," Ritchie said. "It's at least 100 new jobs."
Even if the stimulus passes, there's no guarantee the projects will
get the money, since they're not named in the bill. That will be up to
the Army Corps of Engineers, which does everything from harbor
dredging to building dams to restoring wetlands.
Is Ritchie upset his "wish list" became a national punching bag?
"In the atmosphere we're in you expect it," Ritchie said. "But the
disappointing part is that this isn't just about one creature. It's
about jobs, construction, flood control — there's a lot there."
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11691846?nclick_check=1
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