Feb. 15, 2008 (Page A3)

By Kristen M. Daum

kristen.daum@newsday.com

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton ranked among the top 10 senators who secured the most funding for local projects last year through the controversial practice known as "earmarks," according to a nonpartisan study released yesterday.

The New York senator, listed at No. 9, secured about $342 million last year in project funding. Clinton's rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, tallied $91 million in earmarks for his home state of Illinois.

The Republican front-runner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, rejects the use of earmarks and took zero.

The report by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budgetary watchdog organization, lists the earmark funding secured by each member of Congress and what projects the funds were used for. The report said New York ranked sixth in the nation, with its lawmakers securing a total of $436.7 million for constituents statewide.

President George W. Bush condemned use of excessive earmarks in his State of the Union address last month, and Democrats seized on a much-maligned earmark for a "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska to accuse Republicans of abusing the practice.

New York lawmakers defended their funding, saying the dollars are being used for necessary and valuable projects.

"This is about who should decide how to invest dollars on Long Island: a bureaucrat from the Office of Management and Budget, or a local congressman," said Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), who obtained $25.1 million in earmarks. "If he [Bush] is unwilling to invest in Long Island Sound, it's my job to redirect resources there."

Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines said the senator's efforts benefit New Yorkers on a variety of projects from health care to homeland security.

"Senator Clinton is very proud to have helped New York-based projects that train nurses, improve our hospitals, help those suffering from 9/11-related health ailments [and] bolster our national and homeland security," Reines said in a statement.

Although Clinton had one of the top amounts in overall earmark funding, she raised only $98,000 on her own, with the remaining amount coming from partnerships with other members of Congress.

Fellow New York Sen. Charles Schumer secured all of his $309.7 million earmarks through joint efforts with Clinton. Because of the partnership, Schumer ranked not far behind Clinton, at No. 14 on the list.

"We think we can be more effective for New York by working together," Schumer said in a statement of their team effort. "We are open about the projects we've offered, and we are proud of each one."

The Clinton and Schumer partnership resulted in funding for Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island Sound and the extension of the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal, he said.

Steve Ellis, vice president for programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense, said members of the Appropriations Committees typically accumulate the most earmark dollars. But as neither Clinton nor Schumer is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, it helps for them to pair up on requests, Ellis said.