Orchestrating Impact: How a Fracking Report Became a Moment for Networked Power

In May 2025, a hard-hitting investigative report on fracking practices in Colorado exposed dangerous gaps in chemical disclosure and environmental oversight. But instead of letting the report fade into the background of a busy news cycle, a broad network of advocates—anchored by Halt the Harm Network (HHN) and supported by Netcentric Campaigns—transformed it into a powerful organizing moment.

This is the story of how strategic collaboration, advance preparation, and trust-based coordination helped turn a single research release into a model for network-powered advocacy.

From Report to Response: A Moment of Opportunity

The Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado (PSR CO) report uncovered systemic failings in how toxic chemicals used in fracking are disclosed to the public. Specifically, the findings showed that more than 60% of wells failed to comply with Colorado’s 2022 chemical disclosure law—raising serious concerns about the accuracy, transparency, and enforcement of the state’s voluntary chemical registry, FracFocus.

The report had the potential to spark media attention, regulatory scrutiny, and grassroots outrage. But as anyone in advocacy knows, even the most damning data can fade quickly without strategy behind it.

At Netcentric Campaigns, we saw something more: this wasn’t just a report—it was vindication of long-standing concerns about cracks in the fracking industry’s voluntary self-policing. More importantly, it was a rare chance to punch back. To shift narratives, surface outrage, and turn insider data into public leverage.

We knew this moment needed more than amplification. It needed orchestration.

Our goal wasn’t just to get the report noticed—it was to help it land: to socialize the findings across the movement, equip leaders, prep platforms, and activate networks ready to respond with urgency and purpose. We set out to transform this release into a flashpoint for engagement, pressure, and long-term organizing.

So the question became: How do we turn this moment into a flashpoint—one that sparks engagement, pressure, and long-term organizing?

Laying the Groundwork: What a Network-Ready Moment Looks Like

Behind the scenes, Netcentric Campaigns was already working to lay the foundation for coordinated action. We engaged early with leaders like Dusty Horwitt (PSR CO), Barbara Donachy (PSR CO), and Ramesh Bhatt (Sierra Club Colorado) to shape the narrative, align strategies, and prepare for the moment of release. Alongside FracTracker Alliance, which was helping to build a media roadmap, and Halt the Harm Network, whose infrastructure enabled rapid, trust-driven collaboration, we helped set the stage for a high-impact activation. The trust, tools, and relationships were in place—what was needed was a spark and a structure to move together.

Rather than approach the release as a top-down campaign, Netcentric Campaigns and leaders across HHN supported a network-organized response—a model designed not to control the message, but to equip and connect leaders for action.

“We create the stage that then allows leaders to really shine through. It was not our speech, but it was a podium we set up.” — Marty Kearns, Netcentric Campaigns

Our Three-Part Model for Amplification and Activation

The activation strategy unfolded in three key phases:

1. Pre-Release Preparation

In the weeks leading up to publication, we facilitated strategy calls with local leaders and report authors. These conversations focused on framing the findings to resonate with public health advocates, environmental justice communities, and policymakers.

To prepare network members without breaking embargo, HHN hosted a skill-building session called “Turning Breaking News into Permanent Power,” which drew more than 80 participants. Leaders from Climate Nexus and Texas-based campaigns shared examples of rapid response organizing and sustained advocacy.

During these calls, participants explored hypothetical headlines, mapped the timing of planned media outreach, and discussed the right tone for social media and regulatory engagement. Participants left with toolkits that included:

• Ideas for social posts and graphics
• Messaging direction for use with local media and decision-makers
• Timeline guidance for post-launch coordination

2. Media Briefing + Launch Day

The day of the public release, the team coordinated a media briefing with over 240 registered journalists and communicators. This under-embargo session gave the media early access to the findings and talking points.

The call itself modeled best practices for working with the press under embargo: centering frontline voices, walking through the technical findings with clarity, and previewing ways reporters could deepen the narrative through localized stories. Attendees included national outlets, independent environmental reporters, and local Colorado press.

Meanwhile, advocates in Colorado and other fracking-impacted states were preparing for a coordinated response. Social media toolkits, talking points, and rapid response templates helped ensure the message would spread far and fast.

The embargo period wasn’t a pause—it was a runway. By the time the report dropped, we were ready for liftoff.

3. Post-Launch Organizing & Follow-Up

The following day, a second advocacy briefing allowed HHN members to discuss strategies for leveraging the report in their own contexts—from Pennsylvania to New Mexico.

Follow-up activity included:

• Local leader outreach to regulators and lawmakers
• Letter-writing campaigns and LTE templates
• Continued social media amplification across partner channels

The follow-up wasn’t reactive—it was proactive. By organizing a workshop-style debrief the day after launch, network leaders identified new media targets, prioritized regulatory audiences, and planned next-phase efforts based on early momentum.

Behind the Scenes: Designing for Distributed Power

The activation was successful not just because of strong messaging—but because it was intentionally designed to support distributed power. Netcentric Campaigns took on a coordination role that emphasized readiness over control:

• Pre-mapped timelines and engagement windows allowed advocates to plan for rapid mobilization.
• Media strategy calls and framing workshops helped shape how the report would land across audiences.
• Skill-building events gave people tools to act confidently within the bounds of embargo.

Importantly, preparation began early, with facilitators walking through potential narrative frames, sample talking points, and engagement timelines. These pre-release sessions served as a rehearsal space—a low-pressure environment to build clarity and alignment across participants.

From communication scaffolding to relationship mapping, every detail was built around enabling leaders to move quickly and credibly.

Results: From Engagement to Impact

The campaign delivered measurable outputs and positioned the network for future wins:

• 80+ leaders trained in advance coordination
• 240+ media registrants for embargo briefing
• Dozens of follow-up actions in CO, PA, and NM
• Regulatory scrutiny intensified in Colorado
• Media coverage sustained over weeks, not days

These results weren’t a lucky break—they were the product of intentional design. We worked backward from the outcome we wanted, building a strategic runway that allowed each moment to build on the last. The infrastructure was already there. When the moment came, we just flipped the switch.

What Made This Work: The Network Advantage

This campaign succeeded because of infrastructure—not just information. The ability to quickly engage distributed leaders, host trust-based conversations, and deliver real-time support made all the difference.

Netcentric Campaigns’ model emphasizes orchestration without centralization. It’s about:

• Making it easy for leaders to say yes
• Lowering barriers to coordination
• Building tools and routines that reinforce agency and alignment

This isn’t just a matter of having a mailing list. It means:

• Having working groups who already know how to mobilize on short notice
• Knowing which kinds of templates lower friction for action
• Trusting the capacity of local voices to lead, once positioned with tools and framing

This approach doesn’t just support a single campaign—it strengthens the connective tissue of advocacy ecosystems.

Impact Beyond Colorado: Multi-State Momentum

One of the clearest signs of success was the campaign’s resonance beyond state lines. The findings and strategy were quickly adapted by leaders in Pennsylvania and new Mexico, where disclosure laws remain weak.

Instead of centralizing messaging or coordination, the campaign modeled a shareable approach. The story of Colorado created a powerful point of contrast—a way for organizers in other states to benchmark what stronger standards could look like.

This type of rapid translation across geographies reflects the power of having an already-connected network. It also positions network members as stewards of shared strategy, not just recipients of messaging.

Lessons for Organizers: Replicating the Model

Several lessons emerged from this activation that are applicable across issue areas:

1. Embargo periods are leverage points — Use them to organize, not just to prepare press releases.
2. Preparation beats promotion — Early involvement builds buy-in and sets the stage for sustained action.
3. Orchestration > Ownership — Coordinators serve the network, not the brand.
4. Socialized reports last longer — Information gains power when carried by many voices.

This isn’t about one tactic or one issue. It’s about modeling how networks can respond to knowledge with strategy. And it shows what’s possible when networks have:

• The tools to organize quickly
• The trust to work collaboratively
• The foresight to design for action

The takeaway is clear: Media moments don’t drive change. Networks do.

This campaign is a proof point for what Netcentric Campaigns has long believed: when civic infrastructure is built for collaboration, every new moment of truth becomes a moment of possibility.

Let’s Build the Next One—Together

Netcentric Campaigns is committed to helping leaders turn information into impact. If you’re launching a report, campaign, or community effort and want to create a network-ready moment, we’re here to support you.

Reach out, join our monthly newsletter, or explore our featured projects to learn more about how advocacy networks are shaping the future of civic action.

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