WASHINGTON -- Three members of Maine's congressional delegation are asking Congress to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars for local projects that range from restoring museums and sprucing up a pond in downtown Portland to stopping beach erosion in Saco and defraying the costs of mandatory new gear for lobstermen.

The projects are examples of so-called "earmarks" that lawmakers tuck into appropriations bills. The practice of earmarking has come under fire recently from critics who allege such funding leads to waste and abuse.

But supporters say earmarks yield important economic and political benefits and serve as a check on the government's executive branch.

In all, Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and Democratic Rep. Tom Allen are seeking a combined total of $534 million for 274 non-defense related projects in the 12 spending bills Congress needs to pass to keep the government running in the next fiscal year, according to the lists the three lawmakers provided Blethen Maine Newspapers.

Maine's fourth member of Congress, Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud, refused to release his list, saying he didn't want to jeopardize specific groups' efforts to obtain funding.

In some cases, the lawmakers made duplicate requests. They also made separate requests for big ticket defense-related items that could impact Maine businesses, such as money for new destroyers that would be built at Bath Iron Works.

Not all of the money is for Maine. In some cases, such as outfitting lobstermen with new ropes, the money would be shared by several New England states.

It's also unlikely that Maine will receive more than a fraction of what its lawmakers are seeking.

The state received $38.7 million from earmarks in fiscal 2008.

Only Wyoming ranked lower than Maine, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a government watchdog group. Traditionally, the state does not fare well compared with other states because none of its lawmakers serve on the Appropriations committees or in the House or Senate leadership.

As proposed, however, the cities of Portland and Bangor, state transportation and marine resources departments and Maine's university system stand to benefit, as would nonprofit and community groups. Among those is the Portland Museum of Art -- Snowe, Collins and Allen have requested $617,500 to help the museum preserve Winslow Homer's oceanfront studio in Scarborough.

"It's 180 feet from high tide," said Thomas Denenberg, the acting director and chief curator of the Portland Museum of Art. "There's nothing between the studio and Ireland."

The Save America's Treasures program had rejected the museum's application for a grant, so it decided to request an earmark from Congress.

The museum needs $8.2 million to endow the studio, which it purchased in 2006.

It is expected to open to the public in 2010.

Maine's delegation also requested money to fund an Army Corps of Engineers project to prevent further erosion of the beach at Camp Ellis in Saco.

Last year, Congress authorized the Army Corps to spend $26.9 million to repair the jetty and undertake other beach-erosion measures.

Snowe, Collins and Allen all supported the authorization, but now they need the appropriations committees to approve spending some of that money so the project can be started. Allen is trying to make all the money available at once, so he has requested on his list this year that the House Energy and Water subcommittee appropriate $26.9 million for Camp Ellis.

In Portland, Allen asked for $1 million to restore the pond in Deering Oaks Park to its historic appearance. The pond contains high levels of bacteria from sewer overflows and runoff. The city spends thousands of dollars annually to reduce bacteria in the pond, but a permanent solution is needed.

In addition, all the lawmakers have asked for money to aid lobstermen, who are facing higher operating costs because of a federal regulation requiring them to exchange floating rope for sinking lines that are less likely to entangle the North Atlantic right whale.

For a lobsterman working 800 traps, the cost of new rope could jump $4,000 to $7,000, said Laura Ludwig, the project manager of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation. Snowe and Collins requested $6 million in the fiscal 2009 budget for the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation in Kennebunk, which is helping lobstermen defray the costs of purchasing new ropes. Allen asked for $20 million for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

But at the request of Maine's senators, as well as senators from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Senate Appropriations Committee included $75 million -- $20 million for Maine -- in a $194 billion emergency spending bill the Senate will consider next week.

When Congress approves the earmarks, almost all lawmakers tout them in press releases and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. But most lawmakers, like Michaud, do not release their project lists before they have been approved. Michaud refused to release his list to the newspaper because those who seek his help may also be looking for help elsewhere.

"I do not want to jeopardize the requesting organization's non-federal funding efforts," he said in a statement.

YEAR-ROUND PROCESS

Earmarking has become an industry unto itself, resulting in an explosion in the number of lobbyists working to curry favor with lawmakers in order to obtain earmarks for their clients.

Obtaining earmarks is a year-round process. Beginning in January, nonprofits groups, companies and local agencies make their requests known to lawmakers, sometimes with the help of a lobbyist. Members of the House and Senate then submit their requests to their respective chambers' appropriations committees in early spring.

The committees then review the requests and begin drafting the 12 spending bills that Congress must pass each year to keep the government running. Congress will begin considering those bills next month.

Last year, the House Appropriations Committee received 32,000 requests. Congress inserted 11,737 earmarks totaling $16.8 billion - or about six-tenths of 1 percent of all federal spending - into the fiscal 2008 budget, according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Even then, there is no guarantee those projects will receive funding. Congress does not always pass those bills and the president can veto them. Last year, Democrats were forced to combine some of the spending bills into one giant bill and slash earmarks to meet President Bush's lower spending targets.

The process remains controversial in the wake of influence-peddling scandals that have led to jail terms for former Republican Reps. Duke Cunningham of California and Bob Ney of Ohio.

Congress approved new rules last year requiring more transparency. But an effort to place a one-year ban on earmarks earlier this year failed. All four members of Maine's congressional delegation opposed the moratorium.

Critics of earmarks argue that they not only lead to waste and abuse, they unfairly redistribute federal dollars because earmarks are determined by political acumen rather than merit.

"Members of Congress view this as a way to put their interests ahead of everything else," said Thomas Schatz, the president of Citizens Against Government Waste, a government watchdog group critical of earmarks.

But supporters say earmarks yield economic benefits for local communities and are an important check on the power of the president and federal agencies. Cabinet agencies distribute federal funding based on formulas, but lawmakers don't always agree those formulas are fair.

"The executive branch believes it should be the decider, but Congress feels in many cases the bureaucracy is not sensitive to individual needs in their states," said Scott Lilly, a former Democratic aide on the House Appropriations Committee.