You might remember that, during the bitter 2007 special session of the Legislature, the governor managed to squeeze another $10 million out of lawmakers to help fund Spaceport America.
The money was for a paved highway to the spaceport, which is currently accessible only by poorly maintained dirt roads. The governor originally requested $25 million for the road, but lawmakers scaled back the request before approving it.
Now the governor is asking for more. In this year’s capital outlay proposal he is requesting another $10 million for the road from Interstate 25 to the spaceport.
Lawmakers knew the request was coming. When they scaled back the governor’s request last year, they said they would decide this year whether additional money was needed to build the road.
But some lawmakers are already balking at the request. The state has provided $124.5 million for the spaceport, and it has a $500 million shortfall in road funding that has indefinitely halted 29 other projects around the state.
In light of that, some lawmakers will be hesitant to approve any more funding for the spaceport. Many are also wary because the cost of the state’s commuter rail skyrocketed after they initially approved the project. They won’t likely be willing to allow that to happen twice.
The governor will have to convince lawmakers that the additional funding is critical to the spaceport project, and that there aren’t any unexpected, massive requests related to the spaceport that are yet to come.