These are emails between me, Rhiannon Fionn, and Jeff Brooks, a PR person for Duke Energy; copied and pasted without editing. If you are in the N.C. media and were aware of this press conference, were told there would be future events for N.C. media, etc. please let me know. Thank you.



(messages in reverse order, as you would read them in your inbox)



*****





Which other reporters have you told about tomorrow’s tour in Charlotte and Raleigh?

Some of the reporters you’ve invited to this “local” media day are more than 50 percent further away from the plant than both Charlotte and Raleigh are – which would make those N.C. cities more “local” than the others. Help me understand.

I would like to tour every plant in the state, but especially Dan River, Riverbend, Allen, and Marshall. Let me know what we need to do to make that happen. Thank you for the offer, Jeff.

Rhiannon Fionn

704-577-0817

—–Original Message—–

From: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm) [mailto:JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 1:25 PM

To: Rhiannon Fionn <rhi@coalashchronicles.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

Hey Rhiannon,

Thanks for the response. I appreciate your interest in the site and will certainly work to find a way to get you out there in the next few weeks. But this tour was intended to be for local news media in the Eden and Danville markets to make them aware of the upcoming work at the site, so plant neighbors will be aware that it is starting. That was why we sent the invitation to local media only (am guessing someone forwarded it to you?).

That being said, I have had a couple other outlets in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas ask about a tour and I am happy to arrange one in the next 2-3 weeks. But I am a little resource constrained for tomorrow (vehicles, staff, etc), and have a full local group coming. I’ve already told some of the outside-of-region outlets (Charlotte and Raleigh - who cover us on lots of other issues too) they will need to wait for the later tour. So I can’t really make an exception if I have told them to wait.

Really sorry for the inconvenience, but again, that was why we just went with inviting local media markets this time. That is also consistent with how I have done previous tours of our work sites around the plant. Am very happy to work something out with you in the next 2-3 weeks (early October) and have you join our super-regional tour. And if you would rather tour a site closer to Charlotte, we might be able to work that out. I am happy to check for you.

Thanks and have a great week!

Jeff

—–Original Message—–

From: Rhiannon Fionn [mailto:rhi@coalashchronicles.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 1:08 PM

To: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm)

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

*** Exercise caution. This is an EXTERNAL email. DO NOT open attachments or click links from unknown senders or unexpected email. ***

Presently, I’m working on a documentary film, yes, for which the Dan River spill is an important part. I’m also currently working on a cover story about coal ash for Creative Loafing (Charlotte).

Are you saying that I’m not welcomed to join this tour? That there will be another tour for Charlotte media (sounds a little iffy)? If so, I wonder if it’ll be in time for the story I’m working on for CL … which I believe is important since Duke Energy is headquartered in Charlotte, the state’s largest city, etc.

Please let me know, because I’ve rearranged my schedule to be in Eden tomorrow.

Thanks,

Rhiannon Fionn

704-577-0817

—–Original Message—–

From: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm) [mailto:JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 8:46 AM

To: Rhiannon Fionn <rhi@coalashchronicles.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

Hi Rhiannon,

Hope you are doing well and had a nice weekend. Thanks for the reply.

Forgive my asking, but remind me again which local media outlet you are representing. It’s been a bit since I have done anything with the local Dan River media and my memory is a bit crowded these days! :) I know you are working on your documentary, but couldn’t recall your local media affiliation. I have to limit this tour for capacity reasons and availability of my experts this week to one tour for TV and print media from the Dan River Basin area. Unfortunately, I was not able to offer this one, or a second tour the same day to Charlotte and Triangle media, but may do so in coming weeks. Really just trying to get the word out to plant neighbors this week about work beginning at the site.

So if you are representing a local outlet, that is perfect! Just wanted to check given the limited size of this tour and my need to prioritize for local media this time.

Thanks so much!

Jeff

—–Original Message—–

From: Rhiannon Fionn [mailto:rhi@coalashchronicles.com]

Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 1:39 PM

To: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm)

Subject: FW: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

*** Exercise caution. This is an EXTERNAL email. DO NOT open attachments or click links from unknown senders or unexpected email. ***

Thank you for the invitation, Jeff. I’ll be there.

Rhiannon Fionn

(704) 577-0817

rhi@coalashchronicles.com

—–Original Message—–

From: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm) [JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com]

Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 12:28 PM

Subject: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

Invitation for media only - RSVP required

Media invitation

What: Tour of Dan River coal ash operations and excavation plans

Where: Dan River Steam Station - 524 S. Edgewood Rd., Eden, N.C.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 22 | 1 p.m.

Media Contact: Jeff Brooks |

jeff.brooks2@duke.energy.com<mailto:jeff.brooks2@duke.energy.com> |

919-219-9215

Details:

Duke Energy would like to invite a representative of your media outlet to tour coal ash operations at the Dan River Steam Station next Tuesday, Sept.

22. The tour will provide visuals and discussion of ash basins on site, Dan River plant (currently being demolished), excavation operations on site, rail spur and rail loading stations for coal ash transport to the Maplewood Landfill in Amelia County, VA, dust control practices, and construction plans for a fully lined landfill on plant property.

Duke Energy Carolinas and contractor Waste Management are expected to begin work in coming weeks to excavate and transport coal ash by rail to the Maplewood Landfill in Amelia County, VA.. This transport is phase one of operations to permanently store coal ash from the Dan River Station ash basins in fully lined solutions. As transport of ash is being conducted, Duke Energy Carolinas will also be constructing a fully lined landfill on the Dan River plant property to store remaining ash. That project is still in the planning phase, but the tour will illustrate where that landfill will be constructed.

I hope that you will consider joining us for the media tour on Tuesday at 1 p.m. I expect the tour will last about 90 minutes, depending on questions. I (Jeff Brooks) will be available to do interviews, and we will have experts on hand to provide background information on the project.

PLEASE RSVP to me if you plan to attend the tour. I will need to know names of both reporter and camera person if possible for our security list. When you arrive at the plant, please check in with the security guard and they will direct you where to park. I will meet you in the parking area.

IMPORTANT - This is an active work site. For safety reasons, you must wear proper attire to attend the tour. Please wear closed-toe shoes (steel-toed is ideal, but closed toe required) and long pants (no shorts). We will be shuttling you around the site, and if you are not properly attired you may have to remain in the van.

Hope you can join us for the tour on Tuesday.

Thanks,

Jeff





*****

UPDATE: Heard from a well-known environmental journalist in Charlotte who also covers coal ash; they weren’t aware of this media event. Answering some follow up questions, the same journalist wrote: No strong thoughts. These are photo opps intended to show Duke taking action on coal ash, so I don’t feel particularly insulted about not being invited to Eden.



UPDATE 2: Hearing from environmental groups that they were also not invited – not locals, not state orgs, not nationals. (Some laughter about Duke Energy being “a little resource constrained.”)



UPDATE 3: (emphasis added; messages in order sent/ received)



—–Original Message—–

From: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm) [mailto:JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 2:56 PM

To: Rhiannon Fionn <rhi@coalashchronicles.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

I did not invite any Charlotte or Raleigh media, or trade media on this particular tour. Only media that broadcast into the Eden and Danville markets. I typically divide my tours into “local” media, which for this plant are Greensboro, Danville, Eden and Lynchburg in one group, and then super-regional media who regularly cover us. Their interests are different, and quite honestly, my intent is to make sure the people who live closest to the plant get the opportunity to have a dedicated time with our experts. A professional courtesy that we also extend around our other plants, when appropriate. Not sure who forwarded the invitation to you, or where you are specifically referencing, but if they were outside of that radius they did not receive the invitation from me.

Again, apologies if this is inconvenient for you. But my intent is fairness to the many media outlets we work with on a regular basis. Thanks!

Jeff

—–Original Message—–

From: Rhiannon Fionn [mailto:rhi@coalashchronicles.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 3:50 PM

To: ‘Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm)’ <JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

It’s not about inconvenience, Jeff. Dan River is the only one of your plants that has experienced the country’s third-largest coal-ash spill. It’s well-known that I am working on a documentary film about coal ash in America. Duke Energy won’t sit down for an interview with me for the film, and now it appears that the company doesn’t want me on follow-up media tours of that same plant. Why is that? What’s the harm in letting me attend a photo op? (And the journalist who invited me, who received one of your invites, works for a newspaper 150 miles from Eden, N.C.)

You had mentioned that you had heard from reporters in other N.C. cities about coal-ash tours, so I’m wondering who that was – I’m asking journalists In Charlotte if they knew anything about this event at your Dan River plant and they’re saying they hadn’t heard about it, and you’re now saying you didn’t invite them. Did you mean that they’re asking for tours of plants near their cities? P.S. They don’t care if I attend the Dan River media event without them, so says them.

I would definitely like to participate in future coal-ash media events at any and all plants in North Carolina. You offered, I’m saying yes; please let me know what the next steps are.

Thanks.

Rhiannon Fionn

704-577-0817

—–Original Message—–

From: Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm) [mailto:JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2015 7:21 PM

To: Rhiannon Fionn <rhi@coalashchronicles.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

Appreciate all your questions, Rhiannon, but please don’t read more into this than is the case. I had one time available to do tours tomorrow and limited resources to conduct the tour. The intention of this particular tour, as I said before, was to give local media that serve Eden and Danville an opportunity to come tour the site first since our plant neighbors receive their news from those outlets and because they are the “hometown” news outlets for those communities. That’s all.

We have worked very hard to provide opportunities for local news media to tour plant sites in their markets and share the progress we are making to close ash basins across our system with their viewers. Sometimes, as is the case with plants like Dan River, we may have interest outside the local market to visit the site as well. When possible, we try to offer access for those groups, often in a separate tour because they often want to talk about other sites and topics in their respective markets as well (which usually require additional subject matter experts and resources) or sometimes just because combining them with the local groups makes the tour unmanageable and is subsequently not as helpful for the media who attend.

Those were the reasons we arranged the tour as we did. I might also add that we typically only grant media tours to actual news media, but have sometimes made exceptions and allowed documentarians to visit a site, as was the case when we hosted you at the site soon after the release at Dan River.

Now, as I have mentioned before, I have had casual interest expressed to me in recent months by a few reporters around the state to visit the site if we were offering a tour. Usually these are folks that have covered coal ash topics or other topics in their respective markets. I will gauge that interest with those reporters and work to arrange another opportunity for those regional media outlets to visit the site. I can let you know when that tour will be and you can join them if your schedule permits. Most likely 2-3 weeks from now.

For now, thanks for your interest in visiting our plant, and I will be in touch very soon once we have a date locked in.

Thanks,

Jeff



—–Original Message—–

From: Rhiannon Fionn [mailto:rhi@coalashchronicles.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 7:11 AM

To: 'Brooks, Jeff (Corp Comm)’ <JeffCorpComm.Brooks@duke-energy.com>

Subject: RE: Media invitation - Dan River coal ash site media tour and update - MEDIA ONLY

“ … we typically only grant media tours to actual news media … ”

I’m an award-winning journalist who is a member of multiple media organizations. Just this month I was a speaker at the Greater Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists, a group that I helped found. I’m also a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists. And on and on and on.

I will expect those invitations, not as a favor from you or Duke Energy but because I am part of the actual news media who has been covering coal ash waste for more than six years.

Rhiannon Fionn

704-577-0817

