Depending on who you speak to, congressional earmarks are a great abuse of the system or are a benefit to communities in desperate need of federal funds for worthwhile projects.

There is no denying that the policy, also known as pork barrel spending, got out of control years ago.

The most commonly used example was the proposed Gravina Island Bridge in two small Alaskan towns. You might remember it as the “Bridge to Nowhere.”

When the $300 million proposal was put in an appropriations bill in 2005, two of the more influential members of Congress happened to be from Alaska.

The bridge would have connected Ketchikan, a community of about 8,000 people, with Gravina Island, which had about 50 people and the area’s airport.

It was an incredible waste of money that highlighted how pork barrel spending had gotten out of control. Even after objections were raised by others in Congress, the money stayed with the Senate supporting the bridge in an 82 to 15 vote. It wasn’t really the bridge the senators backed, but their ability to control earmarks.

The bridge was never built, but it took until 2015 for the project’s federal funding to be canceled.

Another example of abuse was then-U.S. Rep. Duke Cunningham, a California Republican who pleaded guilty in 2005 to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for steering earmarks to defense contractors. He served eight years in federal prison, being released in June 2013. During his final day as president, Republican Donald Trump issued a partial pardon to Cunningham, conditional on the ex-congressman paying all of the $3.6 million he owed in restitution and fines.

When Republicans got rid of earmarks in 2011 when they took control of the U.S. House, there was some pushback. But it wasn’t enough to stop the ban.

The Mahoning Valley received pork over the years from the federal government — most notably the $25.8 million that former U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant got to build what is now the Covelli Centre in Youngstown.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, was able to get millions of dollars for various projects in the area through earmarks before they were stopped in 2011.

After a decade-long ban, House Democrats decided it was time to bring back earmarks. But there would be more oversight and transparency.

Each member had to make the projects public along with an explanation for each proposal, and the number of requests is restricted.

There are two kinds of earmarks: one for community projects and the other for transportation projects.

Republicans realized they weren’t going to stop earmarks so they voted in March to reinstitute them.

The House Appropriations Committee will decide on funding for the community projects while the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will determine what transportation proposals will get money.

The good news for the Valley is Ryan and Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, are on the Appropriations Committee. Ryan represents most of Mahoning and Trumbull counties while Joyce represents communities in northern and central Trumbull.

Of Ryan’s 10 community project requests, six are in Mahoning County. Of his 12 transportation requests, three are in Mahoning and two are in Trumbull with one for northeast Ohio.

The transportation projects are the big-ticket items including $6.2 million to Trumbull MetroParks for a bike trail, $4 million to overhaul the intersection of state Route 46 and Warren Sharon Road in Howland, $4 million for an upgrade to the Mahoning Avenue industrial corridor including Mahoning Avenue, Bailey Road and Rosemont Road as well as $3.75 million for the Western Reserve Transit Authority for improvements.

Trumbull makes up the smallest part of Joyce’s district, and he didn’t include any requests for funding for the county.

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, whose 18-county district includes all of Columbiana County and southern Mahoning, requested funding for seven projects. Only one is in the Valley: a $2,732,930 request for the Columbiana County Port Authority to complete an industrial park that could create about 300 to 500 jobs.

Johnson didn’t make any direct transportation requests. That seems curious as the money is going to be distributed so he might as well seek some of it.

Skolnick covers politics for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.

dskolnick@vindy.com