A nuclear lesson
When progressive groups fail to challenge what they oppose in Congress because they think the other side is too big, has too much money, or has already won the public opinion war, they should take a lesson from Friends of the Earth [FOE] this past week.
Working in a coalition with like-minded groups, little FOE defeated the large nuclear industry lobby by killing the proposed $50 billion loan guarantee to the nuclear industry that was in the stimulus bill. FOE succeeded because it had confidence in its cause, courage to communicate a clear and consistent message based on values and information, and a team that could create a lot of impact with a small amount of resources.
When FOE got wind that Utah Sen. Bob Bennett was pushing for $50 billion for loan guarantees for “innovative low-carbon producing energy technology” the group went into action. Everyone knew the money was for the nuclear power industry to start building new nuclear reactors around the country, since other forms of low-carbon producing energy – wind, solar, biomass, etc—are attracting enough private investment that they are not seeking government loan guarantees as is the nuclear industry.
The nuclear industry — or as the Senate would have you call it, the “innovative low-carbon energy technology industry” – is the primary recipient of “loan guarantees” which means if a new nuclear reactor project fails to break even, taxpayer dollars pay back the investors in the project. This way, if you invest in nuclear reactors and they make money, you make a profit. If the reactors go bust, you get paid back by the taxpayers. Private investors make the profits, taxpayers take all the risk. This unfortunate situation is made worse by a Congressional Budget Office report that predicts a 50% default rate on new nuclear reactors. Any way you look at it, it spells BAIL OUT. It is another sad but common Washington story of a self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Senator (in this case Bennett) seeking a $50 billion bailout for a specific industry (nuclear).
FOE simply informed the people of Senator Bennett’s state of these facts, via some very effective television advertising in Utah. It also reached out to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s constituents with on-line advertising. The message: Do not give the give a $50 billion bailout for the nuclear industry to try to build new nuclear reactors across the country when we have alternatives that are cheaper, safer, and cleaner.
(Full disclosure here: The ads were created by Wild Bunch media and informed by message research produced by Belden Russonello & Stewart for FOE.)
After Sen. Bennett heard an earful from true conservatives in his state he felt it was not worth the effort, and he dropped the proposal from the stimulus bill.
Here is the irony: The nuclear industry spends millions of dollars in lobbying and campaign contributions in order to try to win billions in federal subsidies, and they are defeated by FOE which spent $10,000 on media to inform the public what was going on.
There is a lesson here about courage of conviction, determination, and message discipline.