Watchdog.org — which broke the news about “stimulus” funds going to non-existent Congressional districts — is reporting the feds show the dough is also going to non-existent ZIP Codes.
The Federal Transportation Administration is sending more than $11 million to Pierce Transportation so residents of Washington’s 98900 ZIP Code get nine diesel-electric buses. The project is just getting off the ground and has created 52 jobs; impressive considering there is no such Zip Code in Washington or any other state.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act pumped more than $375 million into 170 other ZIPs that do not exist, according to a national study of the Recovery.gov website compiled by Kansas Watchdog reporter Earl Glynn. The site reports the funds created 470 jobs at a cost of about $800,000 each in the phantom ZIP Codes.
The stimulus is sending $375 million in the form of grants, loans and government contracts to fund more than 200 projects being performed in imaginary ZIP codes, like Washington’s 98900.
Ed Pound, spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, said that the phantom ZIP Codes are “nonsense” and “much ado about nothing,” considering the 131,000 reports listed on the site.
“This is simply human error,” he said. “Just because recipients inverted ZIP Codes (at the place of performance) does not mean that the money is going to some phantom place.”