PG&E spent $25.8M lobbying in 1st quarter

COLUMBUS, Ohio

Pacific Gas & Electric spent $25.8 million to lobby in the first quarter, almost entirely on a proposal on the California ballot this month, according to a recent disclosure report.

That compares with the $990,000 the company spent in the fourth quarter and $670,000 spent in the first quarter of last year.

The company spent $25 million lobbying on Proposition 16, a proposal that would have amended the California Constitution to require local governments to get two-thirds voter approval before using tax dollars to start a power agency. The proposal was defeated.

Of the remaining $800,000, $668,972 was spent on federal issues, according to the report filed April 20 with the House clerk's office.

The company lobbied on such issues as the electric grid, renewable energy, a program that helps poor families pay their utility bills, energy efficiency and hybrid trucks.

The company, which provides natural gas and electric service to approximately 15 million people in northern and central California, lobbied Congress and the Energy Department.