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Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Smoot Tewes Group has had a busy couple of months! As you look ahead to the next year, let us know if our firm can help you achieve your goals for 2016.

Events

December 3rd Black Lives Matter Panel

On December 3rd, STG sponsored a panel discussion at the National Education Association hosted by Democratic GAIN - Black Lives Matter and the 2016 Presidential Election.

The event featured panelists from the Clinton, Sanders, and O'Malley campaigns as well as representatives from the Black Lives Matter movement. The discussion was moderated by STG Communications Associate Derrick Robinson.

https://twitter.com/SmootTewesGroup/status/672484218874822662

Our Work in the News

President Obama Vetoes Keystone Pipeline

Everybody's talking about it, and we are still walking on air after President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone Pipeline. This was a decision several years in the making. We are proud of the hard work and commitment of those who have been fighting the good fight. Here are the President's full remarks from November 6th, as well as coverage in the New York Times and the Washington Post.

The President's remarks: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/06/statement-president-keystone-xl-pipeline

ActBlue Continues to Make Waves

Democratic fundraising juggernaut ActBlue continues to break records this year as their march progresses towards $1 billion raised for progressive candidates. Recently, ActBlue was the subject of a New York Times piece that encapsulated their success; with the headline "Small Dollar Donors Are Clicking More With Democrats Than Republicans." USA Today also highlighted the surge in mobile donations processed by ActBlue. Even Politico jumped in on the action with their profile of the Koch Brothers and Joni Ernst, highlighting their attempts to create a conservative version of ActBlue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/us/politics/small-donors-are-clicking-more-with-democrats-than-republicans.html?_r=0

Sand County Foundation

In October, the Sand County Foundation released their "Rare Species Report," which highlighted the Endangered Species Act being used as a tool to promote a proactive approach to conservation. The report featured the stories of the sage-grouse, swift fox, Louisiana black bear (the inspiration for the "Teddy Bear"), Karner Blue butterfly, Arctic grayling and Mountain Plover. The report was featured in Take Part, Yahoo News!, Energy and Environment, and POLITICO's Morning Energy.

Rare Species Report: http://sandcounty.net/new-report-proactive-conservation-efforts-result-in-rare-species-recoveries/

Spotlight on Methane Emissions

In November, we secured a feature story on methane emission in New Mexico on PBS News Hour (Nationwide). Our communications team worked with a local New Mexican rancher in order for him to excel during this interview opportunity.

The Bureau of Land Management directors Mike Dombeck and Bob Abbey sent a letter to the White House urging the Administration to enact a strong and rigorous rule on methane venting and flaring. Their letter was featured in The Hill and Energy and Environment, and the story ran first in POLITICO's Morning Energy.

PBS News Hour episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuAXa4fHHyA&feature=youtu.be&t=24m53s&ab_channel=PBSNewsHour

Seafood Harvesters of America

In October, the Seafood Harvesters of America, joined by commercial and charter fishermen, gathered on Capitol Hill to voice their opposition to the Red Snapper Management Authority Act. While on the Hill, they attended the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans hearing on the bill that would result in less delicious red snapper on our plates and in our grocery stores. Following the hearing, the groups joined forces in a letter addressed to the subcommittee. The Harvesters Executive Director, Brett Veerhusen, also penned an op-ed on the subject, which was prominently featured in the Hill.

More: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/257753-snapper-bill-could-kill-fishing-jobs

Plains and Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project

In November, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project, marking an important step towards the construction of America's largest clean energy project. An op-ed written by Tom Kiernan of the The American Wind Energy Association was featured on the Hill's Congress Blog.

More: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/259153-americas-leaders-should-support-not-obstruct-our

Securing Sport Conference by the International Center for Sport Security

In early November, the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS) hosted their annual conference in New York. "Securing Sport" featured a range of distinguished speakers, among them former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The legalization of sports betting in the United States was a central topic of discussion at the conference.
This topic is also at the forefront of the news. In October the New York Times covered an incident where an employee of DraftKings won $350,000 on competitor site FanDuel using information he gleaned from his job in what amounts to insider trading.

On November 9th, days after the ICSS conference, the push to regulate fantasy sports again captured the headlines, as federal authorities and other states watched the fallout from the New York State attorney general's order prohibiting New York residents from placing bets on the FanDuel and DraftKings sites.

We are certain there will be more developments in the coming months. We will keep you posted!

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/sports/fanduel-draftkings-fantasy-employees-bet-rivals.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

New Client Spotlight

STG is proud to announce that we are working with the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute and the Evers Family. MMEI was founded by Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers, a prominent civil rights leader who was assassinated in his driveway in 1963. Myrlie Evers, herself a former chairperson of the NAACP, recently commented to Glamour on the heroism of the women of Charleston, SC in the wake of the Emanuel AME shooting. We are looking forward to helping MMEI create programs for lasting social change and working with the family to continue the legacy of Medgar and Myrlie.

More: http://www.glamour.com/inspired/women-of-the-year/2015/the-women-of-charleston

Strategic Research

An article published by STG General Counsel Brian Farnkoff was cited six times in the Security and Exchange Commission's October 30th final rule on crowdfunding. Under Title III of the JOBS Act of 2012, Congress for the first time authorized startups and small businesses to raise capital by seeking small investments from a large "crowd" over the Internet, and the SEC is responsible for implementing investor protections.

See the final rule: https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2015/33-9974.pdf

Brian's comment advocated for stricter enforcement of the statute's investment limits through a third-party verification system, which the SEC staff did not adopt. However, the SEC did agree with Brian that intermediaries and funding portals should be not be exempt from liability in order to provide a "meaningful backstop against fraud."

We always knew Brian was worth listening to, and now, the SEC agrees!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Happy holidays to you and yours.

Best,
Julianna and Paul


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