It Was A Year End Blow-Out

Federal agencies rushed to award their unused spending authority to beat the end of fiscal 2011 last Friday. The Energy Department finalized at least half a dozen loan guarantees to solar power projects, while the Education department awarded remaining grant money to encourage minority enrollment in colleges and universities. Even the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation — which manages water resources in the west — beat the deadline by awarding $7.4 million to a Baltimore company to construct buildings in Nevada.