Silver Anvil Winner Public Affairs

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• Silver Anvil Winner Public Affairs
• Chris Gade Citizens to Stop the Coal Trains
• Cathryn Kennedy Weber Shandwick Worldwide
• September 2001

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What is the Proposed Project?

• Purpose is to build a coal pipeline
• Includes 278 miles of new track 598 miles of
  rebuild
• Covers almost 1/3 of the US
• Largest single railroad project in 100 years

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What is the Proposed Project? (cont.)

• Projected to haul up to 100 million tons of coal
  per year
• Increases traffic to 37 trains per day
• Train speeds of 45-50 MPH
• No limit on number or speed once approval is
  obtained

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Issues Concerns

• Traffic congestion
• Threat of derailment
• Emergency medical response
• Noise

• Safety
• Quality of Life
• Division of the community
• Economic impact

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STB Approval Process

• Surface Transportation Board has authority to
  approve
• No other federal, state or local government
  oversight
• Transportation Phase Decided in December 1998
• Environmental impact review

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STB Approval Process (cont.)

• Draft Environmental Impact Statement
• DEIS issued in late August
• 2000 pages long
• Identifies all impacts and how they are to be
  addressed
• Minimum 45 day comment period

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STB Approval Process (cont.)

• Final EIS
• Address all concerns raised during the DEIS
• Reach final decision on mitigation required
• Revisit Transportation decision
• Is project still feasible given the environmental
  review?
• Final Ruling

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Research Objectives

• To determine community leaders' perceptions
  regarding the DME project
• To determine how credible Mayo Clinic's position
  regarding DME is to community leaders
• To identify motivators that would cause community
  leaders to become more active in stating their
  opinions/stance regarding DME

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Methodology

• Individual interviews
• 7 Chamber
• 3 Education (superintendents)
• 7 Hospitality industry (local restaurants, hotel
  managers)
• 6 Informal leaders (non-elected community
  leaders)
• 6 Seniors (includes nursing home operators, not
  necessarily seniors)
• 2 Rural

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Views Regarding DME Proposal

• Most saw it as a negative
• 25 saw as bad for community, 4 mixed
• Concerns regarding
• safety (14)
• division of town (10)
• traffic (9)
• ambulances (8)
• Derailment issue did not resonate (only 2
  mentions)

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Whose Issue?

• Primarily the communitys (23)
• Minority saw it as a Mayo issue alone (2) or as
  Mayo and the communitys issue (4)
• Who needs to take leadership?
• Government entities (12)
• Mayo (5)
• Combination of entities (6)
• DME (1)
• Dont know (4)
• Too late (1)

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Viability of Bypass

• Most saw it as viable (24), but not necessarily
  preferred
• Concern regarding moving problem elsewhere
• Preference would be to not have the trains at all

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Willingness to get Involved

• Some willing to get involved (22), but most (21)
  not willing to take a leadership role
• Community willingness to get involved would hinge
  on
• Showing direct affect on life (5)
• Communicating the issue has not been resolved (4)
• Bringing issue back to forefront (4)

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Conclusions

• Community leaders believe that the DME project
  would be negative for Rochester and are
  supportive of Mayo Clinics position.
• While some are willing to take an active role
  regarding the issue, they are not willing to
  take a leadership role. They believe that the
  City Council and Mayo should lead the efforts to
  resolve the issue.

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Steering Committee

• Goal educate the public and motivate action in
  response to the DEIS
• Proposed project will have a significant negative
  impact on peoples lives
• Everyone will be affected and must respond to be
  sure we are heard
• Now is the time to act to be sure issues are
  addressed

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Steering Committee Objectives

• To educate the public on the significant
  negative impacts of the DME proposal and why
  action is needed now
• To motivate action in response to the DEIS
• Goal - no high speed, mile-long coal trains
  through Rochester

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Steering Committee Action Plan

• Influence STB as well as federal and state
  elected officials
• Initial emphasis is extension of comment period
• Review DEIS and develop responses

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Communication Plan

• Plan to develop comprehensive communications plan
• Work with professional consultants to develop

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Communication Plan Activities

• Develop key messages materials
• Identify train spokespersons
• Create place media materials
• Ads, op ed pieces, video, press conferences
• Town meetings presentations to community groups
• Possible traveling exhibit

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Communication Plan Activities (cont.)

• Briefing materials for public officials
• Meetings with STB, federal state elected
  officials
• Web site development
• Estimated potential cost of 150,000

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Role of Committee Members

• Allow name use to show broad support from a wide
  range of recognized community leaders
• Make views known to STB, elected officials and
  the community through letters, phone calls, op ed
  pieces, etc.

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Role of Committee Members (cont.)

• Help educate and motivate employees, constituents
  and friends to take action
• Make a financial contribution to help fund
  committee activities

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Campaign Objectives

• Position the CSCT as leader
• Inform all Rochester citizens
• Gain media attention
• Reach elected officials
• Provide citizens with easy means to contact STB

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www.stopthecoaltrains.com goals

• Create an informative and easy to navigate Web
  site to help activate grassroots outreach
• Provide easy method for citizens to send letters
  to federal, state and local officials to help
  stop the coal trains
• Offer interactive site for citizens to not only
  learn about CSCT activities but to also ask
  questions and volunteer to help

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The Letter Campaign

• Letter options resident nonresident
• Hurdle STB no email
• Advantages of letters to Congress State
  Legislature City Council
• 2-month delayed reaction by DME to add letter
  section to its Web site

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Letter Results

• Remember Rochester has 80,000 residents
• From 9/27-12/15/00 60,000 hits
• More than 8,000 letters generated
• More than 350 individual participants

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Other Web Site Features

• Virtual tour on tracks through town showing
  proximity to Mayo Clinic, senior citizens homes,
  schools, etc.
• Direct link to STB
• Detailed concerns
• Email requests for lawn signs, etc.

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Campaign Elements

• Tapping community leaders to form a distinguished
  citizen steering committee, representing all
  facets of the Rochester, MN area
• Television, radio and print advertorials,
  articulating CSCT key messages and asking for
  citizens to contact their elected officials
• A community town hall meeting and a positive
  Rally for Rochester
• Community outreach and speaking opportunities

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Campaign Elements (cont.)

• Strategized and publicized trip of CSCT leaders
  to Washington DC to meet with members of Congress

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Campaign Elements (cont.)

• Local, statewide and national media relations
  efforts to publicize the objections of CSCT to
  the proposed coal train project
• Extensive direct mailings to generate volunteers
  and contributions
• Lawn sign campaign to create constant reminders
  of the coal trains threat
• Local, state and federal public affairs and
  lobbying outreach

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Campaign Elements (cont.)

• Creation of traveling exhibit to demonstrate the
  potential disruption to the city of Rochester, if
  the coal trains were authorized. These trains
  would be up to one mile long and would travel
  through the heart of Rochester, within blocks of
  the famous Mayo Clinic, some 37 times a day.

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Campaign Successes

• STB granted 60-day extension
• DME now saying As the process gets longer and
  more complex, the market changes, the economy
  changes and prices change. There could come a
  point when were no longer able to afford the
  project, says Rick Daugherty, public affairs
  officer for DME.

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Resources

• Cathy Kennedy
• Weber Shandwick Worldwide
• ckennedy_at_webershandwick.com
• 952.346.6110
• Chris Gade
• Mayo Clinic
• cgade_at_mayo.edu
• 507.284.2430

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