GOALMobilize public opinion against a coalition of energy companies planning to build a natural gas pipeline through Pennsylvania and New Jersey that threatened thousands of acres of preserved lands and the health of local residents.
From yard signs to the state house floor, Taft created an all-out communications assault to galvanize public opinion against unneeded fossil fuel infrastructure and steer New Jersey toward a clean, renewable energy future. Deploying op-eds, ads, social media, letters to the editor, videos, press conferences, and (in at least one instance) a horse, Taft’s communications strategy built a clean energy movement across New Jersey that stirred residents, awakened legislators, resonated on Wall Street, and reached all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
THE RESULT
Launched and grew the largest social media presence among comparable organizations — reaching 40,000+ Facebook followers, nearly 10,000 Twitter followers, and an email list of 18,000
Placed 40+ op-eds, including Forbes and other national publications
Campaign’s influence caused several multi-year delays in PennEast approvals
Proposed PennEast pipeline received three times the number of comments as any other pipeline application with FERC
After five years, the pipeline remains unbuilt, and the fight against it has escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, garnering key headlines and shifting the course of state and national energy conversations along the way
