Pizza, puppy chow, and propaganda... it's a party!
Clean Line used clueless college kids to support its project at regulatory public hearings by offering them free things, including free talking points that they could simply read into the record. Clean Line's marketing of its project to these people continually misrepresented the project and the issue at hand. And not only did the opposition continually out them on these tactics, but the performance of these clueless kids pretty much missed the mark. That's just the problem with coerced advocates... they seldom completely understand the issue and go prattling off about things that have nothing to do with the regulatory issue at hand.
"Clean energy..." "Pass this legislation..." "Tell the white house..." "Purchase wind energy from Clean Line..." yada, yada, yada. Once I sat through a public comment hearing where coerced advocates urged the approval of a transmission project that had already been built, instead of the one at issue in the hearing. I also directed a truckload of union guys to the "union rally" they thought was taking place at the regulatory public hearing venue. The transmission company gets those people to show up under false pretenses and hilarity ensues. Nobody takes these people seriously. It's a gigantic waste of everyone's time.
Clean Line's first attempt to flood the ICC public hearing on its Rock Island Clean Line only succeeded in spurring the ICC into having a second "forum" with new rules that allowed affected landowners their opportunity to speak. Here's how Clean Line filled the ugly orange shirts it handed out, along with canned speeches.
Clean Line used clueless college kids to support its project at regulatory public hearings by offering them free things, including free talking points that they could simply read into the record. Clean Line's marketing of its project to these people continually misrepresented the project and the issue at hand. And not only did the opposition continually out them on these tactics, but the performance of these clueless kids pretty much missed the mark. That's just the problem with coerced advocates... they seldom completely understand the issue and go prattling off about things that have nothing to do with the regulatory issue at hand.
"Clean energy..." "Pass this legislation..." "Tell the white house..." "Purchase wind energy from Clean Line..." yada, yada, yada. Once I sat through a public comment hearing where coerced advocates urged the approval of a transmission project that had already been built, instead of the one at issue in the hearing. I also directed a truckload of union guys to the "union rally" they thought was taking place at the regulatory public hearing venue. The transmission company gets those people to show up under false pretenses and hilarity ensues. Nobody takes these people seriously. It's a gigantic waste of everyone's time.
Clean Line's first attempt to flood the ICC public hearing on its Rock Island Clean Line only succeeded in spurring the ICC into having a second "forum" with new rules that allowed affected landowners their opportunity to speak. Here's how Clean Line filled the ugly orange shirts it handed out, along with canned speeches.
The hearing will be Wednesday, September 18th, and buses will leave Roosevelt at 3:30pm for the 7pm hearing in Mendota, IL. Transportation, a free dinner, and a t-shirt will be provided!
We want as many supporters to make it to the hearing as possible, so let us know what it will take for you to get to the hearing. Funding for gas, or other transit and travel needs can be provided.
"Do you want to help pass legislation for renewable energy in the Midwest? Then come to the only public meeting for The Clean Line Energy Project which, if passed, will connect enough wind power from Iowa to Illinois to power over 1.4 million American homes!
If you are interested in going to the only public hearing for this project, next Wednesday leaving @ 4pm, please comment on this! I will happily drive us, and it will be a super fun trip in the name of clean energy!!"
College kids love free crap. Unfortunately, they oftentimes cannot balance their academic needs with offers of free crap that take time away from their studies. Clean Line set up a checkpoint in the parking lot next to their cluster of gas guzzling black SUVs where they handed out orange shirts, talking points, and SWAG. The only thing I got was this picture.
Ironically, the wind kept trying to make off with their gigantic sail of a sign. I didn't stick around to see how many perky Clean Line gals floated off to Oz with it.
The students arrived rather late, but isn't that how they always arrive? And they proceeded to get into heated "discussions" with the landowners. Good thing the police were around to keep things in check.
I guess Clean Line thought that was a success, because they tried to replicate it on their Grain Belt Express project in Missouri. Except, once again, they got outed by the opposition. Take a good look at their emails to college clubs promising pizza parties and other SWAG in exchange for signatures on petitions, form letters, and postcards. Clean Line even fished for "sponsors" for a company-written response to a letter to the editor of their school newspaper.
And what happened? I guess there were exams that week, or when the kids balanced their summer break against free pizza as a company shill, home won out. This is what happened. Where are the orange shirts and pizza-smeared faces?
I guess Clean Line thought that was a success, because they tried to replicate it on their Grain Belt Express project in Missouri. Except, once again, they got outed by the opposition. Take a good look at their emails to college clubs promising pizza parties and other SWAG in exchange for signatures on petitions, form letters, and postcards. Clean Line even fished for "sponsors" for a company-written response to a letter to the editor of their school newspaper.
And what happened? I guess there were exams that week, or when the kids balanced their summer break against free pizza as a company shill, home won out. This is what happened. Where are the orange shirts and pizza-smeared faces?
They must have gotten educated. That's what's supposed to happen at college.
So, colleges weren't exactly the fertile breeding ground of pizza-hungry dummies Clean Line expected in Missouri.
But it wasn't just clueless kids Clean Line preyed upon. Clean Line also tried to pretend it was "the voice of consumers."
So, colleges weren't exactly the fertile breeding ground of pizza-hungry dummies Clean Line expected in Missouri.
But it wasn't just clueless kids Clean Line preyed upon. Clean Line also tried to pretend it was "the voice of consumers."
Support landowners in Arkansas and Oklahoma! Support energy infrastructure! Support the Plains & Eastern Clean Line!
We need your help!
America's energy infrastructure needs your help! Lobbying efforts at the white house level have inhibited the passage of an energy infrastructure project beneficial to citizens and landowners in Arkansas and Oklahoma!
........
Support energy infrastructure, land owners, and the Plains and Eastern Clean Line project by simply clicking the link below to sign the petition! Every click makes a difference!
It is absolutely imperative to demonstrate support as a citizen! The future of America's energy infrastructure is in your hands!!
What? Hey, wait, consumers didn't even get offered any pizza! But I guess HBW Resources could buy lots of pizza for employees like Ryan Scott, who pretended to be a "consumer" and speak for other "consumers" at a regulatory public comment hearing in Illinois. I'm surprised he didn't bring a pizza.
Unfortunately for Clean Line, this kind of shilling doesn't work when it's exposed that it was sponsored by the company attempting to get permitted. In fact, it backfires when it encourages more opposition to the project, and those people show up to drown it out, and those people have better, on-point comments. After all, the true state of public opinion about a project is the goal of a public comment hearing. Clean Line made a mistake when it tried to stack the deck in its own favor by offering free things in exchange for supportive testimony. It made them look pretty desperate... and dishonest.
Unfortunately for Clean Line, this kind of shilling doesn't work when it's exposed that it was sponsored by the company attempting to get permitted. In fact, it backfires when it encourages more opposition to the project, and those people show up to drown it out, and those people have better, on-point comments. After all, the true state of public opinion about a project is the goal of a public comment hearing. Clean Line made a mistake when it tried to stack the deck in its own favor by offering free things in exchange for supportive testimony. It made them look pretty desperate... and dishonest.
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