Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) has released a startling "Lobby Watch".
TXU and its suitors spent up to $17 million in lobbying expenditures during the recent legislative session. An 83-person-strong lobby force roamed the capitol halls on behalf of the utility to successfully fight off rate-rollbacks and oversight. The $17 million spree does not include political contributions or money spent on public relations consultants.
The total $17 million had a breakdown of $11 million and paid propaganda (media), $6 million in paid lobbying, and around $200,000 in gifts. I wonder if using that $17 million to decrease Texans soaring electricity costs would have been a better investment.
