CMP's New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project is doomed. And it's getting pretty expensive. Good thing there's a clown!
Foster's reports that CMP and its foreign-owned parent company, Avangrid, thought it would be smooth sailing for NECEC. It's been anything but smooth sailing.
Maine doesn't want this project! The people of Maine don't want a new transmission line through one of their last remaining unspoiled wild areas in order to serve Massachusetts with green-washed "new" power sources. And they're not giving up.
Grassroots groups have been hard at work collecting petition signatures to put the issue on the ballot in 2020. CMP is feeling so threatened (and sure that the grassroots groups will succeed) that it recently kicked off a political action committee with $500,000 from Avangrid. This anemic PAC is intended to sway the vote in favor of the project. Send in the clowns!
It's not off to an auspicious start.
There's a hysterically bad Facebook group. It started off with something like 20 followers, but has now magically bumped its followers up to just over 500. I'm not buying it. There are places you can purchase fake Facebook followers. Cha-ching! How much did that dip into the Avangrid fund? How come I think CMP bought itself some followers? Just take a look at their Facebook page! There are hundreds of comments opposing the transmission project on every post. I haven't seen any comments supporting the project. People are laughing at this pathetic Facebook foray.
And then this turned up today:
Foster's reports that CMP and its foreign-owned parent company, Avangrid, thought it would be smooth sailing for NECEC. It's been anything but smooth sailing.
Maine doesn't want this project! The people of Maine don't want a new transmission line through one of their last remaining unspoiled wild areas in order to serve Massachusetts with green-washed "new" power sources. And they're not giving up.
Grassroots groups have been hard at work collecting petition signatures to put the issue on the ballot in 2020. CMP is feeling so threatened (and sure that the grassroots groups will succeed) that it recently kicked off a political action committee with $500,000 from Avangrid. This anemic PAC is intended to sway the vote in favor of the project. Send in the clowns!
It's not off to an auspicious start.
There's a hysterically bad Facebook group. It started off with something like 20 followers, but has now magically bumped its followers up to just over 500. I'm not buying it. There are places you can purchase fake Facebook followers. Cha-ching! How much did that dip into the Avangrid fund? How come I think CMP bought itself some followers? Just take a look at their Facebook page! There are hundreds of comments opposing the transmission project on every post. I haven't seen any comments supporting the project. People are laughing at this pathetic Facebook foray.
And then this turned up today:
CMP has hired a casting director to audition some people that merely "look" like real people from Maine to star in upcoming advertisements for the project. It even wants some cute kids; to pull on your heartstrings and cry about how grassroots opposition to NECEC is stealing their dreams and their childhood. (No mention of how being exploited in a TV commercial contributes to this problem).
Seriously? Now that everyone can see that CMP is casting ACTORS for its advertisements, nobody will believe them. The "Plain Folks" propaganda device only works when the audience doesn't know they're actors!
You know how it is when you see some fading celebrity hawking Ginzu knives and age-spot cream on Infomercials at 3 A.M.? Yeah, that. That's about how believable these expensive ads are going to be for the public.
Somebody is trying really hard to employ the seven common propaganda devices to this PAC's campaign. Cha-ching!$! CMP is dumping a lot of money into an effort that doesn't stand a chance. And it looks like their PR company is bumbling badly.
How much profit must be in it for Avangrid if it's willing to dump this kind of money into propping up its doomed project? This project has to be crazy over budget at this point. Where's the money coming from? I do hope someone is paying attention to CMP's rate filings to make sure they don't have any happy, little, accounting accidents.
Meanwhile, grassroots activists are making fantastic headway in their petition drive. It's awfully nice of CMP to provide them with these expensive comedy breaks... because laughter is always what makes life worth living. Carry on, folks!
Seriously? Now that everyone can see that CMP is casting ACTORS for its advertisements, nobody will believe them. The "Plain Folks" propaganda device only works when the audience doesn't know they're actors!
You know how it is when you see some fading celebrity hawking Ginzu knives and age-spot cream on Infomercials at 3 A.M.? Yeah, that. That's about how believable these expensive ads are going to be for the public.
Somebody is trying really hard to employ the seven common propaganda devices to this PAC's campaign. Cha-ching!$! CMP is dumping a lot of money into an effort that doesn't stand a chance. And it looks like their PR company is bumbling badly.
How much profit must be in it for Avangrid if it's willing to dump this kind of money into propping up its doomed project? This project has to be crazy over budget at this point. Where's the money coming from? I do hope someone is paying attention to CMP's rate filings to make sure they don't have any happy, little, accounting accidents.
Meanwhile, grassroots activists are making fantastic headway in their petition drive. It's awfully nice of CMP to provide them with these expensive comedy breaks... because laughter is always what makes life worth living. Carry on, folks!
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