Gubernatorial candidate and House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) attacked Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Middlebury) Friday, making a controversial claim that his inaction left millions of dollars at risk of being revoked by the federal government.

Symington alleged in her statement that Douglas had failed to use almost $140 million in earmark projects for transportation. She added that those unused earmark projects could be taken away. She went on to outline initiatives for dealing with the state's infrastructure.

"The lack of a plan to draw down federal aid is irresponsible," said Symington in her statement on Friday. "We're coming up to the last year of this authorization. Jim Douglas has obligated only about 30 percent of the total available.  It's unrealistic that AOT will be able to obligate the remaining 60 percent in one year." 

Yet John Zicconi, spokesman for the state's transportation agency, told PolitickerVT.com a different story.

"There is no deadline to spend the money and there is no threat (that it will be taken away) at this time," said Zicconi.  

Zicconi explained that "unobligated" funds are not the same as "unused" funds. He said the agency could only obligate funds when a certain project was ready to be constructed, and it takes several years of planning and engineering before projects reach the construction stage. Therefore, while it may read that earmark funds are "unobligated" on a budget sheet, the project may still be in the works even though it has not yet reached the construction stage, and thus cannot be officially obligated.

"We have a plan to use it (the money)," Zicconi said. "It's not going to go away."  

Dennise Casey, campaign manager for Douglas, told PoltickerVT.com that "Speaker Symington is either intentionally misrepresenting the facts or does not understand how federal earmarks when she suggests that money is being left on the table.  This is a clear indication that Symington's campaign is getting desperate for traction in the final weeks of the campaign."

At the end of her speech, Symington included the ways she would amend the current use of transportation funds. Some of her initiatives include improving light rail, increasing inspections, auditing the budget in order to boost productivity and reduce inefficiencies, and repairing and maintaining the current projects before building new ones.