Utility Lobbying in Texas

Dallas Morning News:

AUSTIN – Texas utility companies are poised to spend more than any other industry to lobby lawmakers this year, state records show, as the firms seek to keep permits for coal-fired power plants on track and stave off hard-nosed environmental standards and new controls on prices.

Energy companies have signed off on more than 350 lobbying contracts for 2007 and intend to spend between $10 million and $20 million protecting their interests this session, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of state lobbying reports.