Wyoming's Experience With the Federal Stimulus Program -- Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Bakken

Data points from the Federal stimulus plan for Wyoming which is now coming to an end (some numbers rounded):

• $660 million in stimulus funding authorized for Wyoming
• $410 million of that was spent as of March 31, 2011
• Wyoming spent money on one-time projects rather than creating new government jobs that would require state support after the stimulus money ran out
• Resulted in 858 new jobs ($480,000/newly created job)
• Most of the money was spent to shore up/restore projects cut by the state earlier to balance the budget

The $157 million in stimulus funding that WYDOT received, for example, essentially replaced the funding the department lost in the 2009-10 state budget, said WYDOT Director John Cox in a January media release.

“That kind of saved the day for us,” Cox said. “The timeliness of the stimulus money couldn’t have been better, given that the governor and Legislature had to balance the budget.”

• Wyoming was the first state in the nation to spend all its construction stimulation money
• Stimulus money was used to fund Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program; both programs now have thousands of additional enrollees, and starting in 2012, the state will have to fund the programs
• In many states, private insurers dropped insurance programs for children if the state provided coverage (that hasn't happened yet in Wyoming)

Takeaways for me:

• The federal money restored funding for programs cut by the state earlier to balance the budget (a one-time goodie)
• The state will now have unfunded obligations for larger Medicaid and CHIP programs
• I do not know if the 858 jobs, at a cost of $480,000/job to create, will be around in 2012
• Despite being the first state in the nation to spend all its construction stimulus money, the state has spent "only" 60% of its federal stimulus money ($410 million/$660 million)
• The article did not say whether the $250 million yet to spend has been obligated or if the state is trying to figure out what else to spend it on

I have no idea what North Dakota spent its stimulus money on, but if the state had held on to it, it could now be used for road construction, repair, maintenance in the west; flood recovery efforts in the mid-section (Bismarck, Minot, and Devils Lake); and, whatever the Red River Valley thought they needed for their fair share.