This figure is conservative the Center included only those expenses incurred by companies that also gave campaign contributions and listed electricity deregulation as one of their issues. Lobby data itself also has limitations, due to loopholes in the law. People are required to file federal lobbying reports only if they spend at least 20 percent of their time lobbying. The same companies that are applying pressure in Washington also are active in the states, where 49 legislatures are considering or have considered electric deregulation plans. Enron, for example, employs a cadre of lobbyists who cover all the state capitals.
Utilities tend to be very powerful at the state level and spend lavishly there.
A comprehensive analysis of spending at the state level was beyond the scope of this report. Analysis of spending by one major electric utility holding company, The Southern Company, however, shows that the amounts involved are enormous. The list of top recipients of energy power PACs reads like a who's who of lawmakers in a position to influence the debate. In the House, many of the top recipients sit on the Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over major electric deregulation proposals. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is the Senate counterpart.