Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

Engagement Strategy

This document provides recommendations and actionable next steps for Vesper related to its Firefly Solar Project in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. These recommendations are based on initial information gathered in the Community Assessment provided by Bantam Communications. The Community Engagement Strategy is divided into four sections: (1) situational awareness; (2) information, infrastructure, and project reset; (3) public affairs and PR offensive; (4) persuasion campaign. At each point in the plan, Vesper and Bantam should exercise judgment based on the developing situation on the ground and evaluate each preceding step’s success. This strategy primarily focuses on the North Beaver Township Board of Supervisors as decision-makers because they control the zoning ordinance relevant to the Firefly project.
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS:
‍Vesper is operating in a particularly challenging environment. At the production of this community assessment and engagement strategy, the Firefly project has been setback by well-organized and politically connected opposition, in part, resulting in a solar ban in agricultural zones within North Beaver Township. Organized opposition has made common cause with the township supervisors and their interests need to diverge if Vesper is going to be successful in amending the solar ordinance and eventually receiving conditional use permits.
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The community is conservative and has a long history of agriculture and some industry. In recent decades, the county has seen steady economic decline and residents are interested in ways to improve the community’s resilience and access the job opportunities. There is fear that family farms will be sold off into smaller plots and the project’s promise of helping retain the integrity of farm plots is appealing. Still, many residents do not have enough information about the project and need to overcome the fear of perceiving to lose their rural character and perhaps even ideological opposition to renewables.
Also recognize that solar is new to this region. There are some projects within a 30-minute drive, but Lawrence County leaders and residents still have a knowledge gap due to a lack of experience with the technology. This creates opportunities for Vesper to paint a positive picture of what could be, but it is also a barrier to overcome.

The first steps lay a foundation for a renewed local campaign by creating a network of support surrounding the community and incrementally strengthening local relationships. The Firefly project has a history in the community and prompted the anti-solar ordinance in 2021. However, Vesper’s own polling suggests there are still opportunities to educate the community and win residents over—a majority of residents are not familiar with the plans, creating an opportunity to educate them and win their support before the opposition hits them with a negative message. This first phase is about circling the wagons, getting buy-in from local influencers, and preparing the infrastructure (messaging, collateral, speakers, initial education, etc.) for a rapid and aggressive PR campaign in Phase II.

1. If it has not happened yet, have a detailed conversation internally about what Vesper is willing and able to give to get this project done. Understanding what the company is willing to spend on the front end can then be leveraged to achieve the final objective.

For example, is Vesper willing to fund a road repair or drainage ditch? Or is there capacity (funding or in-kind) to contribute to local services or charities?
Is Vesper willing to spend the money on economic impact studies? Not having those materials will limit the company’s ability to persuade the business community and local leaders of the benefits. Consider partnering with a local university like Slippery Rock University, or Youngstown State University to commission [even a modest] economic study that can be cited in materials. Having a local university’s name of the study will lend it additional credibility—certainly more than one that comes from a large, out-of-state consultancy. It also has the added benefit of likely being the alma mater of many local leaders Vesper is trying to persuade.
Once the company has some parameters on what it’s willing to give, it can talk about those broad-reaching community benefits that are contingent on building the project. It will make it more difficult for township supervisors to maintain an uncompromising position on solar development.

2. Connect with local and statewide energy and environmental advocacy groups – cultivate constructive relations with organization that advocate in the energy and environmental space. Some of these groups are already organizing to remove the anti-solar ordinance (Vesper is likely already engaged with those groups) and others can be used to validate environmental and stewardship messaging.

This is the first step in building out a network of supporters. Using the principles of the “network effect,” these initial touchpoints will help Vesper insert itself and make high-value relationships in the community. Follow where these paths lead.
Vesper may already have these relationships. If not, connecting with these groups to build rapport is valuable to begin organizing your allies.

3. Connect with local and statewide agricultural interest groups – groups that have credibility with farmers and are recognized as representing agricultural interests will be absolutely essential to turning the tide of this project. Many of the concerns residents have relate back to preserving farms, soil health, and maintaining the character of the community.

Organizations like the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (and its local affiliate, Lawrence/Beaver) as well as the Penn State Agricultural Extension can speak to the relevant concerns, but before they do, will want direct consultation and opportunities to discuss principles of an ag-friendly development. Generally, the Farm Bureau and Pennsylvania Grange are supportive of responsibly-sited solar, so make every effort to understand their issues, show honest and clear attempts to mitigate those concerns, and request their support. Their support could come in the form of endorsements, earned media sign-ons, or acting as intermediaries for local introductions and conversations.
Continue using PennCEF and the Land & Liberty Coalition of Pennsylvania to help build credibility with conservatives and give them likeminded allies and justification for supporting Firefly. Many Republicans support renewables when the economic case is made to them, they just need license and a support structure to lean on.
The opposition is organized around protecting agricultural spaces. By recruiting agriculture-focused allies, Vesper can demonstrate that groups like PA4ResponsibleSolar are out of step with farmers’ interests, it begins to undermine their argument and reassure other farmers who are considering leasing. (See Neutralizing Opposition)

4. Connect with local economic development, workforce training, and labor interests in the region.

Offer briefings to the local economic development, workforce, and labor interests. This outreach goes a long way in earning trust and getting these groups aligned on a set of facts that can be used to message to different audiences. Be sure to cultivate a relationship with IBEW 712 and local leaders with strong, pre-existing relationships in the community, such as Rep. Sainato or leaders from the area schools who can discuss workforce development and preparing students for opportunities in the clean energy field.
The local chamber of commerce has been reportedly cold and unwilling to constructively or enthusiastically engage with Vesper. Still, having local business voices and buy-in is important. There may be creative ways of appealing to the Lawrence Chamber such as (1) offering a lunch and learn to educate the business community on the project and hear input, or (2) solicit an intermediary such as a local union or Rep. Sainato to carry your message. Ideally find a group with local credibility, connections to the chamber, and an interest in seeing the economic development outcomes of the project.
To the extent the Lawrence County Regional Chamber is unwilling to engage, seek alternative message validators such as New Visions for Lawrence County or the West Central Jobs Partnership.

5. Identify your “Landowner Ambassadors”

As Vesper approaches landowners to discuss potential leasing agreements and easements, identify the particularly enthusiastic landowners. Ask them about their stories (how long they lived in the community, what they like most about the area, how Vesper can make the most positive impact on the community, etc. – the goal is to find people who have social cache, an interest in being engaged, pro-Firefly, and can speak as a message validator for landowners. Cultivate these individuals, so they are comfortable sharing their perspective at events, township supervisors meetings, or signing LTEs.
Think of these individuals as your frontline of support—their financial interests are aligned with yours. They can be powerful advocates if they feel respected, valued and if they are asked. The community is small, so many probably know each other already. Strengthen their community ties by creating networks around project participation, like a prospective landowner appreciation event or a Facebook group.
Again, the opposition is organized around protecting agricultural spaces. Each local farmer Vesper recruits helps build that case.

6. Develop collateral materials for your target audiences.

Create customized collateral to speak to the interests and concerns of different target audiences. Let the intel you gather from conversations with stakeholders guide the questions you need to answer in the collateral. These materials can be available online but should also be formatted as fact sheets or “leave-behinds:”

1.Landowners and agricultural interests
2. General public (economic development, health, and environmental impact)
3. Relevant case studies (case studies from previous successful Vesper projects – with names, faces, 1^st-person testimonials, community benefits).
Remember: Facts alone are not a winning strategy. Data and science need to be persuasively leveraged to advance the project.

7. Build out a network of local grasstops supporters and community influencers who can validate Vesper’s messaging about the project. This will be a natural outgrowth of ongoing consultations with the groups mentioned in the previous steps. This collection of individuals, along with participating landowners and farmers, will be crucial for the persuasion campaign in Phase II.

Educational Institutions:
• Vesper already has a strong relationship with the Mohawk Area School District. Continue to use that relationship to demonstrate Vesper’s proactive dialogue.

• Build a cohesive education and workforce narrative by envisioning a career opportunity pipeline from early education on to one of the trade schools. Build a vision and collaboration between the public schools and the trade schools on solar workforce development and give them a stake in the project’s success.
Agricultural Interests
Economic Interests
Other Interests:
• If Vesper is comfortable, consider opening dialog with faith communities and veterans to meet people on issues they care about. For example, the faith community may be open to the environmental stewardship message. Likewise, veterans groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion may support the project if there are clear employment opportunities for veterans. These groups should only be approached if Vesper feels it can deliver the message authentically. In the course of building relationships in the community, Vesper may be able to find a local individual who can more persuasively engage communities in these settings.
Remember: The local name is almost always more powerful and persuasive than the outside name, organization, or business.

8. Cultivate a favorable media environment.

Offer an editorial board briefing to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Business Times – these two publications may choose to use their platform to weigh in on the Firefly issue and could help sway the business community and township supervisors if they are read-in on the issue. Use this opportunity to present a general briefing on solar technology, positive developments in the industry, and information about the community benefits of Firefly and how it is an enhancement on the existing agriculture economy rather than a pivot away from it.
Brief Debbie Wachter, a reporter at the New Castle News, on the Firefly project details, community benefits, and answer questions about the technology or planning considerations. Wachter has reported on the project recently.

This phase largely coincides with landowner outreach and securing easements and rights-of-way. The goal of this phase is to dismantle solar’s exclusion from agricultural zones in North Beaver Township. Take special care to track emerging opposition against the project at this stage.

9. Launch a coordinated digital and earned media campaign. Content should be aimed at two objectives, (1) hitting residents in North Beaver Township with a clear, positive message about solar energy and how it may benefit the region, and (2) a clear ask to remove the solar ban on agricultural land.

Digital campaigns could feature local residents that represent different constituencies that are in favor of the project.
Echo the digital campaigns messaging with earned and paid media in local newspapers that feature op-ed and LTE signers from your grasstops network.
Consider placing a negative earned media or reported piece in one of the local business papers, such as the Pittsburgh Business Times. This piece would essentially argue that the North Beaver Township supervisors took the wrong approach to protecting farmland and that the “one-size-fits-all” and “government overreach” of the anti-solar ordinance undermines the best interest of the community and the region.
Consider sending mailers to potential participating landowners with agricultural and economic messages that reinforce the digital and earned media messages.

10. Solicit support from “Leadership Ambassadors” – this operates as an opportunity for supervisors to “check Vesper’s references.”

Look to Vesper projects that have been successful with high levels of community satisfaction, ask those county commissioners, board of supervisors, and others in equivalent positions for a reference and if they are willing to speak directly with the supervisors.
If the North Beaver Township supervisors are uninterested in meeting with Vesper in closed setting or outside of session, ask if they would be interested in talking to individuals who were in their position and approved a solar project. Supervisors may be more willing to have conversations with their peers about concerns they have and constituent management rather than Vesper in its role as a developer.
If this does not exist at Vesper yet, consider building in a leaders recruitment program going forward, or checking in retrospectively with commissioners Vesper has built a positive working relationship with.

11. Hold a series of informal community meetings to promote the project’s community benefits, spread positive messaging, and create opportunities to hear community feedback that can inform the next steps.

Offer meetings or short briefings on the project to build support and engagement from key constituencies and individuals. The aim here should be to make these “interests” heard and direct their local political or social cache towards advancing the project.
Invite your cultivated grasstops and influencers to speak at these meetings (e.g., representatives from local educational institutions to talk about workforce, property owners to talk about landowner benefits, local healthcare professional or environmentalist to talk about health and environmental benefits, representatives from neighboring chambers of commerce to talk about the economic benefits solar had on their community, etc.).
These events can be designed creatively to make them more exciting or interactive. Think about offering promotional swag or food to enhance the community’s experience. These are valuable touchpoints to demonstrate a desire to engage the community authentically. Additionally, explore formats that allow the company to manage this discussion and steer it in positive directions.

12. Unveil a North Beaver Township Farm Preservation Plan – demonstrate Vesper is listening and thinking comprehensively about impacts to farms and how the Firefly project can actually enhance farmland preservation in the township beyond simply keeping plots intact.

Take into account feedback from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Penn State Agricultural Extension, and environmental groups like PennCEF, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Even better, have some of these groups cobrand or endorse the product.
Consider options for buffering and landscaping that helps assure residents the viewshed will not be drastically altered.
Specifically call out types of ground covering that reduce erosion, maintain the health of the underlying soil, or pollinator-friendly landscaping.
Promote this product, share it with relevant decision-maker stakeholders including township supervisors, and pitch to reporters for coverage.

13. Organize a trip to Vesper’s Gaucho Solar Project or another local project that demonstrates solar energy done well. Select a project that will not play into the supervisors or farmers natural fears over a project—show one that has arrays spaced well and does not suffer from erosion problem or major community opposition.

Invite the township supervisors, select members of the business community, agriculture interests, and a handful of supporters (could be from the landowner ambassadors program) to travel to the project site.
Tour a completed section of the project and answer questions about the technology, siting process, and mitigation efforts.

14. Attempt to neutralize potential opposition groups – based on an initial scan, there appears to be a least one opposition group that is relatively sophisticated and organized against the project.

PA4ResponsibleSolar: This group is not a constructive force and there is nothing Vesper will be able to do to win them over. Do not waste resources trying to engage. Instead, invest resources in monitoring this group’s messaging. Their strategy appears to be trying to align their interests with those of the Board of Supervisors. They are likely responsible for the first anti-solar ordinance. Vesper and the project’s allies can best manage this group by driving a wedge between its objectives and how the Board of Supervisors perceives its interests. PA4ResponsibleSolar’s position needs to be marginalized and framed as a radical, anti-development policy, juxtaposed to Vesper’s more reasonable position.
Other outside opposition groups: Many anti-renewable groups organize on social media and sometimes infiltrate prospective renewable energy communities to disrupt or kill projects. Avoid directly engaging anti-renewable individuals on social. PA4ResponsibleSolar is already connected to out-of-state anti-renewables groups and will likely receive strategy support and engagement from these groups.

Phase III represents the period following when the solar ban is lifted on agricultural zones, either through a determination from the State Attorney General’s Office or through act of the township board of supervisors. The goal of this phase would be to win broad public acceptance and assure the township supervisors that the solar project is a value-add to the community. Note that the opposition is likely to grow fiercer after the solar ordinance is changed, opening the door to development. Therefore, continue tracking their activity through social listening and other tactics.

15. Take steps to earn community support and build social license.

Make commitments to local charity organizations or commit to directly financing local projects or efforts that benefit the whole community. Gracefully publicize these commitments and allow the benefactors to tout the contributions to the extent possible.
Consider contributions to the local United Way of Lawrence County, Lions Club, or the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership, the last of which Rep. Sainato, Senator Vogel, and Rep Kelly are all members of the board.
North Beaver Township has a volunteer fire department; there could be an opportunity to support them. They typically have several fundraisers each year.
Larger commitments can be made contingent on the project’s approval. But if the community appears to be moving towards approval, some good faith contributions to the community help bolster support.

16. Execute an earned media strategy around persuasion.

Enlist grasstops and your “Landowner Ambassadors” to submit op-eds and letters to the editor (LTE) in local papers, including the New Castle News and the Beaver County Times. Aim to create a “steady drumbeat” of positive opinion coverage of the project (topics could include community benefits, appreciation for Vesper’s commitment to community engagement and input, etc.). Vesper and Bantam should be prepared to help draft and edit these.
Particularly strong or timely pieces should be amplified on social media, used in advocacy, and promoted with services like Outbrain.

17. Amplify messaging with a local, targeted social media campaign.

Consider messaging around benefits to farmers and landowners, solar technology innovations, economic development benefits, monetized or relevant benefits for public and environmental health.