FERC chairman wants electric grid spending

CHICAGO - The country's top energy regulator says the federal government needs to spend much more money on improving the country's electrical grid.

The head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told reporters at the annual American Wind Energy Association convention in Chicago that the several billion dollars in President Obama's stimulus plan is really only seed money.

Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff also says the federal government needs greater authority to organize transmission projects. Those projects often run into opposition from landowners and even some states.

The wind power industry wants better transmission lines leading from windy areas such as the upper Midwest to major markets.

The wind industry association's meeting runs through Thursday.