For decades, oil production has released methane into the atmosphere, worsening climate change and harming public health nationwide, including in many rural, working-class, predominantly Latino, and Indigenous communities. In spring 2023, a coalition working for over a decade to secure rules to limit methane pollution tapped True Blue for assistance in bringing visibility to the issue and some of the communities impacted by the pollution. We quickly got to work devising a campaign that would help people understand the urgency of this issue and exert enough pressure to prompt regulatory change.
With limited resources, we organized production for two TV spots strategically tailored for Pennsylvania and Texas markets, as well as a TV and radio spot designed for the North Dakota market, since communities here are affected the most by oil and gas production emissions. Within days, True Blue Creative Director Corbet Curfman was on the ground, capturing footage of these harmful production facilities and their impact on the people who lived and worked in their midst.
Watch the finished pieces below.
The dust has since settled, and we sat down with Corbet to reflect on his experience bringing this project to life.
- Why was it so important for the team to focus on North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Texas?
Methane and air pollution at oil and gas wells have major climate and health impacts across the country, especially in energy-producing states. These sites can be located almost anywhere, like right next to a suburban neighborhood or a family farm. One study found higher rates of cancer for those living within 500 feet of a well and adverse health impacts for those living within 1,000 feet of a well. Another study in Texas found that flaring at oil wells led to an increased risk of preterm births for Hispanic women living in the Eagle Ford Shale area. And yet another study found that every 1% increase in flaring led to a 0.73% increase in respiratory-related hospitalization rates in North Dakota.
- What was the strategic approach for the project?
Our main goal for the shoot was two-fold.
One: we wanted to showcase the people of these areas. We needed the politicians and government agencies to see who was being affected. Seeing the faces of the diverse sets of people affected by this problem grounds it in reality and makes it personal.
Second: we needed to get good shots of these sites and demonstrate how close they are to where people work and live. Most of the footage we had to work with was from a scientific point of view. It was great for showing how much methane was leaking through infrared, but had no context and looked otherworldly. We wanted shots that connected methane pollution to the people and the area.
- What was it like working directly with these communities?
We were very lucky to work with frontline organizations in all of these places. Their expertise and knowledge were invaluable for getting us to the right places and showing us the worst of the situations. Each of them had been fighting this effort for years, and all had personal stories of people in the communities whose health had been affected by methane pollution. I was truly inspired by their bravery and relentless pursuit to reduce the impact caused by these oil and gas companies. A big thank you to Clean Air Council (PA), Moms Clean Air Force (PA), Environmental Health Project (PA), PennEnvironment (PA), Rio Grande International Study Center (TX), Commission Shift (TX), and Dakota Resource Council / Fort Berthold POWER (ND), as well as Environmental Defense Fund.
- How did you capture footage of oil & gas sites? Were there any hurdles to gaining access?
Getting footage of the sites was definitely tricky. There’s no one resource that will just tell you where all these places are and what these well sites, transfer stations, production facilities, and reserve ponds are for. Our local guides and the non-profits were able to construct a map of locations of the offenders and give us tips on what to look for. Since the oil and gas well sites were located on private properties, we could not access them directly. Everything we shot came from drone footage or being right on the property line with handhelds.
- What did you want to convey to viewers through these videos?
It was critical to get the shots that relate to the community and health of these areas. I was blown away by how close these oil and gas well sites were to people living their lives. It really hit home the urgency of the problem and the need to protect people from the pollution caused by these operations. The politicians needed to know that the people needed them to do something about this. Our shots brought this to life. We were able to get content relating to these issues that we had not seen out there before.
- How do you hope this video and campaign will impact the local community in the long run?
We accomplished exactly what we wanted. The Biden administration finalized new protections including strengthened provisions to curb flaring on December 2, 2023. This campaign, which ran in Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Texas, was critical to raising awareness in those communities and throughout the country. Now it is about those individual states implementing and enforcing these new regulations and protecting these hard-hit communities.
- What is your biggest takeaway from the experience?
There is nothing that tells you more than seeing these issues firsthand. Hearing from the people affected and seeing for yourself the source of those problems. I felt privileged to help bring awareness of methane pollution to life and do whatever we can to help solve it.
The Impact
Going up against one of the most powerful industries in the world is no easy task. But the will of millions is not to be underestimated. The TV ads were viewed millions of times and succeeded in building power against polluters by leveraging support from grassroots organizations, amplifying public support from each state, and pressuring political leadership to pass rules limiting methane pollution.
It all culminated in a historic moment last December at the Global COP28 Summit, where the Biden administration announced a groundbreaking new rule promising to reduce harmful air pollutants by tightening regulations on polluters. After decades of living in the grip of harmful methane pollution, communities across North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Texas could finally begin to breathe a sigh of relief now that strong rules are in place. But that’s not the end of the story. There’s more work ahead to ensure these rules are implemented and enforced.