Clean energy industry spends $12.1 million on Washington lobbyists

(David Donar - http://politicalgraffiti.wordpress.com)

The clean energy industry is speeding up its spending on Washington lobbyists. During the first six months of 2009 the sector spent $12.1 million on lobbying, London based research firm New Energy Finance reports.

“2009 is shaping up to be a critical year for policymaking in the U.S, with a new president and a more sympathetic Congress. Particularly with the huge amount of stimulus funds the new federal government has offered, it is hardly a surprise that the sector is stepping up its efforts”, said Michael Liebreich, chairman and CEO of New Energy Finance.

The wind industry accounts for one fifth of all spending on lobbyists while the biofuel firms are spending the most, about one in three dollars spent. But among the 110 private firms seeking to influence policy – an increase from 68 in 2006-07 - are also smaller venture capital-financed start ups developing next-generation biofuels, solar modules, or other technologies.

Still, although the spending on Washington lobbyists in 2009 is a five-fold increase from 2007, the clean energy sector lags behind that of the oil- and gas industry. According to New Energy Finance the fossil fuel industry spent $82.2 million during the same period, with ExxonMobil alone contributing to $14.9 million.