Utility "playbooks" call for buying influence and controlling public opinion about a transmission proposal. They do this through lobbying and front groups to create an appearance of public support for their proposal.
And then there was Clean Line. No matter how much money they threw at this problem, it continued to grow out of their control.
Did Clean Line not buy the right people? Or was their buying just directed at the wrong people? When a real utility does it, they're playing on established relationships and an intimate knowledge of the movers and shakers in the regulatory world. As a new entrant into the utility business, Clean Line had no idea what it was doing and it had no relationships with state leadership. It simply found the most obvious and eager people and opened the money faucets, hoping the money by itself would cure all ills. Not by a long shot.
The most successful Clean Line ever was with the schmoozing was at the U.S. Department of Energy, who agreed to "participate" in its Plains & Eastern Clean Line project after many years and many millions of dollars invested. That Clean Line had to buy that agreement by offering 2% of its quarterly profits to the U.S. government speaks volumes. And still, participation by the DOE got them nowhere. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line still failed.
In the states, Clean Line spent its money on fast talking political operatives who couldn't quite get the job done. The few permits Clean Line was able to schmooze were subsequently ripped away by the judicial system, where Clean Line's claws couldn't quite reach.
You know what the problem is with fast talking political operatives? You can't trust them. They're so busy pumping out the manure you never can be too sure if they're telling the truth, or some other version of the truth that will keep the money flowing. Some of the people Clean Line bought to schmooze it up with states and local communities were the wrong people. They didn't have the right connections, and more importantly they didn't have the respect of the people they were trying to schmooze. The guys who are for sale to out-of-state companies, who will gladly throw their community under the bus for a few bucks, aren't very effective. Do you think the community doesn't know this guy is for sale to the highest bidder? Of course they do! They know what goes on in their own community, and guys who are always trying to enrich themselves by selling out their community are not respected or listened to. You know who is respected and listened to? Members of the community. The ones who have done good things for their community over the years without looking for some sort of reward.
Mayberry had this over Clean Line throughout the process. The minute landowners and community leaders found out about the Clean Line projects, any favorable opinion gained early on was flipped. And ultimately, it was forthright and determined opposition that killed the Clean Line projects.
Clean Line's few pathetic attempts at front groups provided only comic relief.
Remember Windward Iowa? That was entertaining for a few days. I wonder how much that flop cost?
And then there was the Consumer Energy Alliance's EDJ initiative in Arkansas. That didn't last very long either.
Every time Clean Line tried to start a front group supporting one of its projects, the opposition quickly outed it for what it was. You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to fool a farmer!
To add emphasis to the point that these groups were fronts, the groups have completely disappeared. Once they were outed, the money stopped flowing and the "passion" for the cause evaporated as quickly as it started. Boom! Now you see it, now you don't.
But, but, but, Clean Line followed the utility "playbook" and bought local influence. Why didn't it work?
Because Clean Line is not a utility. Simply pretending wasn't enough.
And then there was Clean Line. No matter how much money they threw at this problem, it continued to grow out of their control.
Did Clean Line not buy the right people? Or was their buying just directed at the wrong people? When a real utility does it, they're playing on established relationships and an intimate knowledge of the movers and shakers in the regulatory world. As a new entrant into the utility business, Clean Line had no idea what it was doing and it had no relationships with state leadership. It simply found the most obvious and eager people and opened the money faucets, hoping the money by itself would cure all ills. Not by a long shot.
The most successful Clean Line ever was with the schmoozing was at the U.S. Department of Energy, who agreed to "participate" in its Plains & Eastern Clean Line project after many years and many millions of dollars invested. That Clean Line had to buy that agreement by offering 2% of its quarterly profits to the U.S. government speaks volumes. And still, participation by the DOE got them nowhere. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line still failed.
In the states, Clean Line spent its money on fast talking political operatives who couldn't quite get the job done. The few permits Clean Line was able to schmooze were subsequently ripped away by the judicial system, where Clean Line's claws couldn't quite reach.
You know what the problem is with fast talking political operatives? You can't trust them. They're so busy pumping out the manure you never can be too sure if they're telling the truth, or some other version of the truth that will keep the money flowing. Some of the people Clean Line bought to schmooze it up with states and local communities were the wrong people. They didn't have the right connections, and more importantly they didn't have the respect of the people they were trying to schmooze. The guys who are for sale to out-of-state companies, who will gladly throw their community under the bus for a few bucks, aren't very effective. Do you think the community doesn't know this guy is for sale to the highest bidder? Of course they do! They know what goes on in their own community, and guys who are always trying to enrich themselves by selling out their community are not respected or listened to. You know who is respected and listened to? Members of the community. The ones who have done good things for their community over the years without looking for some sort of reward.
Mayberry had this over Clean Line throughout the process. The minute landowners and community leaders found out about the Clean Line projects, any favorable opinion gained early on was flipped. And ultimately, it was forthright and determined opposition that killed the Clean Line projects.
Clean Line's few pathetic attempts at front groups provided only comic relief.
Remember Windward Iowa? That was entertaining for a few days. I wonder how much that flop cost?
And then there was the Consumer Energy Alliance's EDJ initiative in Arkansas. That didn't last very long either.
Every time Clean Line tried to start a front group supporting one of its projects, the opposition quickly outed it for what it was. You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to fool a farmer!
To add emphasis to the point that these groups were fronts, the groups have completely disappeared. Once they were outed, the money stopped flowing and the "passion" for the cause evaporated as quickly as it started. Boom! Now you see it, now you don't.
But, but, but, Clean Line followed the utility "playbook" and bought local influence. Why didn't it work?
Because Clean Line is not a utility. Simply pretending wasn't enough.
RSS Feed