PG&E throws down $44M on lobbying

PG&E spent nearly $44 million on lobbying in the first half of the year - a 3,018 percent increase from the same period a year ago and seven times more than any other utility, according to an analysis of financial filings completed by news provider SNL Financial.

Please note $39 million of that went $44 million went to backing Proposition 16, which would have established a two-thirds majority vote by residents before community power programs (read: communities buying power from someone other than PG&E) could be established. Proposition 16 was ultimately defeated in June's election so PG&E likely won't be spending any more money on that fight anytime soon.

Still, the other $5 million, which is not chump change, was spent lobbying on " energy assistance funding for low-income families; grid reliability and infrastructure defense; and the American Power Act, which was shelved July 22," SNL reporter Jason Lehmann wrote in his analysis.

Southern Company, the second largest utility spender, American Electric Power Co. and Duke Energy, which all have large coal plant holdings, were the next three highest spenders after the far-and-away largest PG&E. Southern Company dropped $6.02 million on lobbying, while American Electric spent $4.8 million and Duke Energy Corp. spent $3.2 million.