Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) has earmarked $8 million

over the last four years “for a project ostensibly designed to make Montana a center for space-related research and industry.” The results? The program “appears to have produced few tangible results while spawning several state and federal investigations. It has also earned lobbyists and companies connected to Burns hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts and lobbying fees as well as more than $80,000 in campaign contributions for Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT).”