Absence of Smart Grid in Budget Talks Isn't Smart

In Monday's budget announcement, President Obama followed the path that he outlined in last week's State of the Union address, proposing a massive $100 billion for job creation. In the process, he renewed his administration's commitment to infrastructure improvement, adding a call for a $4 billion "infrastructure bank" that will be used for large-scale construction projects. But, even as the President stated that "we're going to put more Americans to work rebuilding our infrastructure, and building our infrastructure of the future," a key element was missing. The "smart grid," long a centerpiece of Obama's plans for infrastructure spending, was seemingly out of the conversation.