Energy-in-Depth (EID): The “GAS”rootsby Dory Hippauf
On January 6, 2012 a Fracking and Nuisance Litigation meeting took place in Montrose,Pennsylvania.Energy-In-Depth’s (EID) - Northeast Marcellus Initiative Field Directors Bill desRosiers andNicole Jacobs, along with Helen Humphries, Senior Corporate Communications Specialists forthe Williams Company, attempted to attend the meeting. They were asked to leave, as thepurpose of the meeting was to meet with people wishing to seek litigation against the NaturalGas industry and share information on this matter.The following day, “Bill” desRosiers published a blog entry on the EID-Northeast MarcellusInitiative website entitled“You’re Not Welcome Here” – This Is Transparency?”.Approximately, 2 weeks later, an article appeared on We Are Powershift website, entitled“From Township Planning Consultant to Fracker: Tom Shepstone” by Alexander Lotorto. EID-Northeast Marcellus Initiative followed up immediately with “Who Is Alex Lotorto, Well StreetOccupier?” by Giles Howard, a Guest Blogger.I would not be surprised to find an EID blog entry entitled “Who is Dory Hippauf?”, to appearwithin hours of publication. Who is Dory Hippauf? I’m a 56yr old woman, I moved to a smalltown in the Back Mountain area of Northeast Pennsylvania about 14 years ago fromMassachusetts. I am the Research Committee Chair for the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalitionof Luzerne County. I hold no degrees in economics, the corporate world, or politics. I havean AA in Graphic Design, and an AS in CAD drafting. I am currently employed as a CADDrafter. I have a great deal of curiosity in how corporations have influenced our governmentand our lives, and this led me to start “Connecting the Dots”. All the information I have andwill present is easily found on the internet using Google, and I do cite my sources.In the interest of transparency, Connecting the Dots series will be asking “Who Is EID”.According to SourceWatch "Energy in Depth (EID)is a pro-oil-and-gas drilling industry frontgroup formed by the American Petroleum Institute, the Independent Petroleum Association ofAmerica (IPAA) and dozens of additional industry organizations for the purpose of denouncinglegislation proposed by Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette to regulate underground hydraulicfracturing fluids."In 2009, EID mounted a fierce “rebuttal” campaign against the documentary film, GASLAND,by Josh Fox.EID sent a letter to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesstatingGasland should be ineligible for nomination because it was based on inaccuracies. EID alsopublished several blog entries “debunking” the film.
The funding sourcesfor EID include: Anadarko, BP, Chevron, El Paso Corporation, EnCana,Halliburton, Marathon, Occidental Petroleum, Schlumberger, Shell API, Talisman and XTOEnergy.EID has two satellite branches:EID-Northeast Marcellus Initiativewhich covers Pennsylvaniaand New York area, andEID- The Ohio Projectwhich focuses on gas/oil drilling in Ohio. If youhave clicked on these links, you will see nice profile pictures, each person’s EID Title, and a“hometown”. The purpose of this is to may you feel more connected to EID, especially if yourecognize the hometown, as in “Gee, these are nice people, they are from my home town.”This is a time honored public relations tactic, used by many ad agencies to sell you products,and politicians to make them seem more “likeable”. Public Relation firms know you will bemore apt to believe someone who appears to have a connection to you, as opposed tosomeone you don’t know.The “grassroots” initiative was launched around May 2011 by EID. According to the websiteMarcellus Drilling News: “EID has also launched a major new grassroots initiative nowspreading from county to county in the region.”Marcellus Drilling News further states “The program, known as EID’s “Northeast MarcellusInitiative,” calls for the hiring of several full-time organizers charged with engaging andeducating the region’s many supporters of the Mighty Marcellus, and providing them with thetools they need to act. Led on the ground by
campaign manager and well-known localnatural gas advocate Tom Shepstone
, the initiative is already up-and-running in severalcounties across the region, with field organizers now in place in Luzerne, Lycoming andWayne Counties, Pa. – all with reach into New York State.”EID is not grassroots. EID’s “GAS”roots extend from the front groups, Corporations, PublicRelations, to the halls of Congress.
Figure 1
The Messengers:
The registrant information for the EID website is listed as
FD Dittus Communications.
DittusCommunications went through various incarnation. FD in Dittus Communications stands forFinancial Dynamics. Dittus Communications became known as
FD Americas Public Affairs
,and later FD Americas was rebranded as
FTI Consulting
.
FD Americas:
A unit of UK-based strategic and financial communications consultancy FD,FD Americas Public Affairs (formerly Dittus Communications) offers public relations, marketingcommunications, and issue advocacy services. The firm provides the usual corporate services(media relations, corporate communications, and crisis management) plus public affairsservices (issues management, legislative strategy, grassroots organizing and coalitionbuilding) as well as marketing, creative, and design services. Clients have included KraftFoods, Dell, the US Department of Energy, and International Paper. The firm was founded in1993.
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Energy in Depth -The Gas Roots
Energy in Depth, the frackers answer to grass roots opposition
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