- Guyana opposition drops Mercury; Quebec utility hires PR firm to sway Maine energy referendum; French utility subsidiary lobbies on offshore wind; India’s Tata lobbies on visas
Guyana opposition drops lobby firm in the middle of electoral dispute
The opposition party in Guyana and its Washington lobby shop have chosen an odd time to part ways. Mercury Public Affairs has terminated its contract with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) just as the left-wing party is trying to build pressure on incumbent President David Granger to concede defeat in this year’s election.
Mercury was initially hired a year ago to advocate for the PPP in the United States ahead of the vote. With Granger clinging on to power, lobbying has shifted to getting the United States and the rest of the international community to try to change his mind.
Despite Mercury’s departure, the PPP still has friends in Washington. But Granger’s supporters are pushing back with their own influence operation. Read the story here.
Quebec power company hires second PR firm to sway Maine vote on transmission line
Quebec’s public utility just won’t give up on its plans to bring its hydropower to New England. With environmentalists vowing to block a proposed transmission line through the Maine woods, Hydro-Quebec has hired former President Bill Clinton aide Jeffrey Forbes and his Forbes Tate Partners to try to sway public support.
It’s the second PR firm Hydro-Quebec has hired ahead of a November referendum on the power line. Recent polling shows project supporters trailing opponents by 20 points. Read the story here.
Today’s filings
NEW DOMESTIC LOBBYING FILINGS (LDA)
Second quarter filings are pouring in ahead of the July 20 deadline. We’ll pick out the most interesting ones every day.
The National Foreign Trade Council spent $60,000 in the second quarter lobbying Congress and the Donald Trump administration on issues including tax treaties with Hungary, Poland and Chile; digital economy taxation; OECD tax issues; and sanctions policy with respect to Iran, Russia and Cuba.
EDF Renewables, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French utility EDF Group, paid Cassidy & Associates $20,000 in the second quarter to lobby Congress on offshore wind development and investment and production tax credits.
Indian multinational Tata ​Consultancy Services paid Squire Patton Boggs $60,000 in the second quarter to lobby Congress on “H-1B and other employment-related visas.”
Nokia of America Corporation paid Miller & Chevalier $70,000 in the second quarter to lobby Congress on tax issues.