Some of the East Valley’s representatives in Congress are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for special projects in their districts this year. But veteran lawmakers, including John McCain, John Shadegg and Jeff Flake, say they aren’t seeking a single dime in federal money earmarked for pet projects.

Democratic Rep. Harry Mitchell is seeking $261.8 million for 33 Arizona projects, ranging from $6 million for road improvements and flood control on Indian School Road in Scottsdale to $10 million to improve the public safety communications system in Tempe.

Mitchell also has requested $6.4 billion for the National Science Foundation, which provides some funding for Arizona State University. But that money would be for a national program, not specifically for any special projects in Arizona.

And Republican Sen. Jon Kyl is seeking an unspecified amount of money for 56 projects, ranging from $36 million for a space-defense system to $10 million for taxiway improvements at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Two of his national military projects do not include specified funding amounts. Other national projects to benefit children’s hospitals and teachers similarly do not include funding amounts.

In contrast, Republicans McCain, Flake and Shadegg aren’t proposing funding for any special projects. Flake and McCain in particular have tried to overhaul the entire earmark process.

Republican Rep. Rick Renzi has refused to disclose his earmark requests.

Not all the earmark requests will be approved, while others may be approved but at lower amounts.

The difference in style between the lawmakers comes at a time of increased scrutiny about earmarks, which are taxpayer funds provided by Congress for projects or programs specifying the exact location or recipient of the expenditure. Congress includes earmarks in appropriation bills, which are the annual spending bills that Congress enacts to distribute discretionary money.

“All taxpayers are really in tune with fiscal issues,” said David Williams, vice president of the nonpartisan Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, which is based in Washington, D.C. “The ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ started this a couple of years ago and I think that people are paying attention to fiscal issues, and this is one of them.”

The Bridge to Nowhere was a $223 million earmark that was included, and later stripped, from the 2006 transportation appropriations bill. It would have funded construction of a bridge from mainland Alaska to an island with 50 residents. The Bridge to Nowhere has become the poster-project for earmark reform.

The authors of earmark provisions previously were difficult to identify, but both the Senate and House are moving to make the process more transparent, so the names of lawmakers who request earmarks would be tied to the projects within the legislation.

Some lawmakers have taken an extra step and provided citizens groups and the media lists of their requested earmarks.

Outside the East Valley, Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva has publicly disclosed his earmarks, while Democratic Reps. Gabriella Giffords and Ed Pastor have refused to disclose their earmark requests.

Republican Rep. Trent Franks did not respond to repeated requests for public disclosure by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. The organization has been publishing Congress members’ requests on its Web site: www.cagw.org.

Kyl said he receives hundreds of funding requests each year and carefully evaluates all of them before recommending any to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He said he considers whether particular projects are authorized by law, whether they further a legitimate federal purpose, whether they are supported by state, local or tribal governments and whether funding is available from other sources.

“I cannot support every request for funding every year and still be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “I must set priorities, recognizing that the federal government must live within its means, just as families must do.”

The move to open the earmark process to public scrutiny is positive, said Mitchell, who is serving his first term in federal office. “One of the things that we found during the campaign is that people were tired of the way Congress was doing business,” he said.

Historically, Arizona has not received a fair share of federal funding on several fronts, including money for highway and wastewater infrastructure, Mitchell said. In some instances, some federal funding formulas are based on U.S. Census Bureau counts that are decades old and don’t reflect Arizona’s population growth. As a result, Arizonans pay more into federal tax accounts than they receive in benefits.

“Think about this: Arizona has been a donor state,” said Mitchell, whose 5th Congressional District includes Tempe, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee Foothills, Fountain Hills and part of Mesa.

“In terms of highway funds, we get 92 cents back on every dollar,” he continued. “That’s not right. Now, you can call it an earmark or not. But I think the very fact that there are projects that are going to be funded, the money is there, that the residents of Arizona have as much right to get some of their tax dollars back as residents of any other state.”

Flake not only has not requested any earmarks, he routinely offers amendments to appropriations bills designed to eliminate other members’ earmarks.

He sometimes is criticized by constituents who tell him he is shirking his obligation to bring federal money to the 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Mesa and Chandler and all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

“There are a few, but for every one of those there are 100 who say, ‘Keep at it.’ I think most people recognize that most of us were elected with higher aspirations than grovelling for crumbs that fall from appropriators’ tables,” Flake said.