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Advancing Electric Competition in the Wake of California . Enron’s Campaign to Affect Policy and Public Opinion February 5, 2001. Team Enron. The Challenge. Isolate California and communicate a market-based message Retain a market-based electricity structure in California
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Advancing Electric Competition in the Wake of California Enron’s Campaign to Affect Policy and Public Opinion February 5, 2001
The Challenge • Isolate California and communicate a market-based message • Retain a market-based electricity structure in California • Minimize California impact and Governor Davis’ message across the west • Facilitate federal action: FERC and Congress • Identify and manage potential energy crisis in other states • New York • Florida • Others? • Refine and increase public affairs effort among • policy makers • the media • opinion makers
Major Themes • Open Access: Finish the job of creating competitive wholesale electricity markets across the U.S. • Ease the process for siting and interconnection of new generation • Price caps don’t work • Encourage risk management/hedging strategies for consumers and utilities • Promote customer choice • Financial stability of California utilities is imperative • Enron as a model and solution to the energy crisis
Isolate California Objectives • Assure financial stability of utilities • Retain direct access • Encourage market-oriented demand-side management response • Reform siting/permitting laws and regulations • Preserve wholesale market and necessary institutions (Cal ISO) Resources • Team Enron • California lobbyists: Hedy Govenar and Bev Hansen • Enlist other allies and external resources Framework for Meeting Objectives • Office of the Governor -- develop more support for market-oriented solutions • CA Legislature -- continue to educate and build support network as additional legislation moves • Regulatory -- minimize involvement in the process
Western Region Objectives • Promote major themes • Open Access • Price caps don’t work • Ease process for siting and interconnection of new generation • Customer choice • Enron as a model and solution to the energy crisis • Educate Policy Makers Resources • Team Enron • Existing western lobbyists • Other resources? Framework for Meeting Objectives • Media/public affairs effort • Solicit third-party advocates
Washington, DC Objectives • Increase Congressional activity to propel FERC into acting on open access issues • Ensure Congressional action is positive and/or neutral • Manage impact of outside influences on FERC • Administration, Congress, Think-Tanks, Academia, Press • Educate policy makers • Executive and Legislative • Educate the press Resources • Team Enron • Quinn Gillespie and other lobbyists • Solicit support from other strategic partners Framework for Meeting Objectives • Take inventory of previous Congressional outreach
Washington, DC (cont.) Framework for Meeting Objectives (cont.) • grow base target list • neutralize foes • increase visibility among allies • Tier 1 meetings • Congress: House Leadership • Speaker Deny Hastert (R) • Majority Leader Dick Armey (R) • Majority Whip Don Nickles (R) • Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D) • Chairman Billy Tauzin (R) • Chairman Frank Murkowski (R) • Senator Larry Craig (R)
Washington, DC (cont.) • Tier 1 meetings (continued) • White House staff • John Bridgeland, Director White House Policy Council • Joel Kaplan, Special Assistant to the President and Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy • Andrew Lundquist, Director of National Energy Policy Development Group • Department of Energy • Secretary Spencer Abraham • Department of Commerce • Secretary Don Evans • Department of Treasury • Secretary Paul O’Neil • FERC • Commissioner Curt Hebert
Washington, DC (cont.) • Tier 2 Meetings Senate Influencers/LeadersHouse Influencers/Leaders • Senator John McCain (R) Rep. Joe Barton (R) • Senator Jon Kyl (R) Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R) • Senator Gordon Smith (R) Rep. Cliff Stearns (R) • Senator Conrad Burns (R) Rep. Jim Greenwood (R) • Senator Ron Wyden (D) Rep. Chris Cox (R) • Senator Patty Murray (D) Rep. Richard Burr (R) • Senator Diane Feinstein (D) Rep. Ed Whitfield (R) • Senator Maria Cantwell (D) Rep. Roy Blunt • Senator Byron Dorgan (D) Rep. Dick Gephardt (D) • Senator Chuck Hagel (R) Rep. John Dingell (D) • Senator Mary Landrieu (D) Rep. Rick Boucher (D) • Senator Jeff Bingaman (D) Rep. Ed Markey (D) • Senator Charles Schumer (D)
Washington, DC (cont.) Framework for Meeting Objectives • Media outreach - earned and paid • “Think-tank” outreach • “Influencers” outreach (grasstops)
New York and Other States Objective • Promote major themes • Educate policy makers • Educate ENA and EES customers • Anticipate crisis before they occur and induce positive policy response Resources • Team Enron • ENA and EES • New York lobbyists Framework for Meeting Objectives • Editorial board meetings • Letters with major themes to policy makers • Coordination with ENA and EES power trading desks • Integrate major themes into weekly newsletter sent to ENA and EES customers • Participate in conference calls with ENA and EES regarding northeast region
Media Plan • Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC • Government and public-affairs focused effort • Opinion research and polling • Strategy and development of themes • Identify where deregulation was done correctly • Enron as a model and solution to the energy crisis • Managing information flow • Consumer education efforts • town hall meetings with CA delegation allies • Earned media campaign (national) • Paid media campaign (national) • Internet communication effort • Assistance with coalition building and member recruitment • Coalition management • Development of materials • turnkey kit for 3rd-party advocates
Media (cont.) • Earned media • Reporters who cover energy issues • Trade publications • Beat reporters in Washington, DC • Bureau of National Affairs • Congressional Quarterly • National Journal • Editorial boards • Key columnists • Media in battleground states • Television outlets
Media (cont.) • Paid Media • Redefining the deregulation issues through a paid media campaign • Inside-the-beltway publications such as Congress Daily, CQ Monitor and periodicals such as Roll Call, The Hill, The Weekly Standard and The New Republic are cost-effective venues for target audience. • Advertising effort that reaches legislators, regulators, congressional staff and the media
Media (cont.) • Execution of public affairs effort • Working press shop • Quinn Gillespie • Enron Public Affairs • Speaking engagements • Editorial board meetings • Op-eds • Cultivating columnists • Events
Identification and Management of Evolving Issues • EES commercial exposure in California • Enron as “government-in-residence” in Washington, DC • Corporate profiteering issues • Potential relaxing of environmental laws and regulations blamed on Bush Administration • Summer electricity prices
Timeframe • Stabilizing California -- immediately • Education of policy makers in the west and in and New York -- February/March/April • New York meeting of market-participants committee tentatively set for February 13th regarding coordinated/common message throughout the northeast • FERC and Congressional action by October • Media schedule to be rolled out February 12
Conclusion Implementing a focused campaign to stabilize the fallout from California, to promote competitive markets and improve public perceptions