President Barack Obama all but endorsed Xcel Energy Inc.'s project to upgrade its power distribution network. In Denver last week to sign the $787 billion federal stimulus package, Obama touted the company's effort in nearby Boulder, which he said is "on pace to be the world's first smart-grid city."
Even with the president's nod, Xcel faces a fight if it wants some of the $4.5 billion of government aid allotted for high-technology power systems.
"There's going to be competition for that money," said William Gausman, a senior vice president at Washington-based Pepco Holdings Inc., which is deploying its own smart grid across the District of Columbia and three states, Bloomberg reported.
The battle for bucks marks the second round of lobbying over the biggest spending bill since World War II. Local governments, businesses and special interests that fought to convince Congress to fund their programs are moving the battleground to federal and state agencies that will decide who gets money for infrastructure, environment, education and other programs.
"This is a lobbyist's delight," said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a government watchdog group in Washington.
"Normally they lobby to get something into the bill and then they're done," Ellis said in an interview. "Now they get paid to make their project get funded."
...