Communicating Effectively on Yucca Mountain

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Communicating Effectively on Yucca Mountain

• Kristy Simms
• Director, Federal Governmental Affairs,
• ENTERGY

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INFORMATION OVERLOAD!
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How do you break through?
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one SIMPLE messagefrom many VALUABLE sources
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Whats our ONE SIMPLE message on Yucca?

• Vote for Yucca Mountain because
• it is scientifically sound.
• remote, underground storage in one place is safer
  than scattered around the nation.
• your constituents have paid for this responsible
  solution for years.

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Who are the MANY VALUABLE sources?

• Members of Congress respond to
• Their constituents back home
• Political pressure from party leadership
• Other Members
• Home-state Press
• State VIPs
• State Colleagues
• Donors and Special Interests

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Folks back home are one of the most valuable
resources

• Grassroots from the company employees, retirees
  and shareholders
• letters, faxes, calls, personal outreach
• Enlist the support of your neighbors
• local Chambers of Commerce, influential
  businesses, your vendors

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Party leadership pressure

• Very tough to counteract
• What is the only thing that can trump party?
  Constituents!
• Yucca is bipartisan BUT pressure in the Senate
  will be tough to overcome.

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SURPRISE! Peer pressure exists beyond high school

• The whip system is at the heart of
  Member-to-Member contact.
• Similar to party pressure, but with fewer
  consequences for jumping ship.
• This can be a good or bad influence.
• Make sure your pro-Yucca Members are talking to
  your anti- or undecideds

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Ever notice that the first five letters in
pressure are press?

• Educate reporters.
• Work with local media to place op-eds.
• Get local mayors, aldermen, city councils
  involved and talking to the media.
• Respond to misinformation quickly.

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State VIPs can help

• Letters of support from your Governor, state
  legislators and senators can be of tremendous
  help in triangulating outliers.
• Send letters from your CEO or (better yet) set up
  hill visits
• Get influential business groups in the state to
  contact their Members

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Holding hands and jumping together

• Often, state colleagues like to stick together
• Urge your pro-Yucca Members to see his/her pals
  in the delegation
• This, coupled with the state VIPs, further
  triangulates those who are against Yucca.

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Money talks

• Donors and special interests have a role
• We are all constituents and VIPs before we are
  donors, but this status helps.
• It pays to support your supporters.

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You can do it!

• Educate, educate, educate.
• Make sure the message is simple.
• Make sure all information channels are sending
  the same message.