Alaska Lawmakers Losing Clout

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, walks through the Capitol in Washington in this July 31, 2007 file photo. The state's entire delegation is under an ethical cloud, something Congressional historians say is unprecedented. Alaska's small but powerful congressional delegation is under an ethical cloud, something historians say is unprecedented. And that may be ending a modern-day gold rush that sent billions of federal dollars to the state. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File) (Lauren Victoria Burke - AP)

A 2005-2007 study of earmarks by the group showed that Alaska _ ranked 47th in population _ has done far better than other states, when spending is calculated per person. Spending over the three-year period came to $4,311 per person in earmarked projects for Alaskans, while Hawaii was a distant second at $1,812. At the low end were the populous states of Texas, at $98 per person, and New York, $95 per person.

Part of the difference can be explained by Alaska's special needs, with its remote geography, rough terrain and extreme weather. But the clout of Stevens and Young also has played a huge role.

"There was a time when these were the gods in some ways, but it's a new world," said Bill Hoagland, a former Senate Appropriations Committee staff director under Stevens. "There are senators and congressmen who are new to the institution and don't have reason to be as scared as previous members. They don't have the same fear factor."

Still, Dr. Carl Shepro, a political science professor at the University of Alaska, said the investigations have not yet generated a public outcry against Stevens and Young in Alaska.

"They brought a lot of programs to the state. It will take a conviction to get large numbers of people against them," Shepro said.

"One of the things about Young that turns a lot of people off in D.C., and some people here, is the fact that he'll get in some people's faces." But most Alaskans appreciate that, he said. "A lot of voters think he's expressing individualism."

Federal authorities are scrutinizing Stevens' relationship with oil field services contractor Bill Allen, who helped oversee a renovation project that more than doubled the size of Stevens' Alaska home in 2000. Allen's company, VECO Inc., won tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts and officials were major political donors. Allen has pleaded guilty to bribing lawmakers in the state Legislature.

The Young probe, in part, involves his campaign finance practices, according to a law enforcement official who commented only on condition of anonymity. The investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Former VECO CEO Allen held fundraisers called "the Pig Roast" for Young every August for 10 years.

Young's spokeswoman Meredith Kenny has declined to discuss the investigation.

Stevens says the interests of justice will be best served if he does not comment until after the investigation.

Murkowski says her land deal was "a judgment call that I made that allowed me and my husband to undergo a level of criticism that I believe is unfounded but has caused people to question me. I'm not willing to compromise that trust for any piece of property."

Murkowski had drawn criticism over her purchase _ located along the scenic Kenai River southwest of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula _ from a campaign contributor she called a lifelong family friend.

Hoagland, the former appropriations committee staff director under Stevens, said that even before the latest incidents, "the winds had already started to shift" away from Stevens and Young. It started, he said, with the defeat in late 2005 of the "bridge to nowhere" _ a $223 million project connecting Alaska's lightly populated Gravina Island to Ketchikan. Federal funding for the bridge was scaled back after it drew scorn from the media and the public, but local officials still want to go ahead with the project.

Then, both men were left in the minority by last November's election results.

Hoagland added, "The congressional environment on earmarks, the minority status, and on top of that the black cloud that hangs over ... particularly Stevens will lessen the amount of funding he and Young can channel back to state of Alaska."

"But he is a tough fighter. I never underestimate Ted Stevens."

(This version CORRECTS that federal funding for the so-called 'bridge to nowhere' in Alaska was scaled back, but the project has not been shelved.)