The proposed route of TransCanada’s Energy East Pipeline. (Image: PRI)
Edelman Fired After Documents Showed Plan to Attack Activists Opposed to Tar Sands and Pipelines
TransCanada has cut ties with the American public relations firm Edelman, amid controversy over a proposed communications strategy for a major pipeline project.
The move, which was announced on Wednesday, follows the leak of documents about Edelman’s proposed strategy, which advocated vigorous attacks on opponents of one of TransCanada’s oil sands pipelines.
In the documents that were obtained by Greenpeace, Edelman proposed that the pipeline company should investigate opponents of Energy East, a plan to convert a natural gas pipeline to Eastern Canada to carry oil sands production and to extend it to a new tanker port in Quebec. The public relations firm further advised the company, which is also behind theKeystone XL project in the United States, to use front groups, relying on third-party surrogates to disseminate unflattering findings.
TransCanada, which is based in Calgary, Alberta, acknowledged that it does investigate opponents and their claims. But the company rejected the idea of releasing material through third parties.
At first TransCanada defended the work by Edelman, which is the world’s largest independent public relations firm based on revenue. “We will not apologize for promoting the value of the industry, responding to legitimate and sensible concerns or for ensuring Canadians have the facts about Energy East,” the company said in an online statement.
On Wednesday, TransCanada acknowledged the controversy in its decision to release Edelman.
“Media reports have incorrectly suggested that TransCanada’s communications practices are unacceptable,” the company said in a statement. “The conversation about Energy East has turned into a debate about our choice of agency partner. We need to get back to a conversation about the project itself.”
In a statement, Edelman said that it agreed with TransCanada that its withdrawal was best for the pipeline. But it nevertheless defended its recommendations.
“We stand by our strategy,” Edelman said. “It was both ethical and moral, and any suggestion to the contrary is untrue.”