I think our CEO is doing everything right with the environmental issues. And he's got local officials as well as the Governor on his side, which is major. There will always be "Karens" to deal with. It's just a fact of life in business.
We had a "Karen" in a theatrical company of which I was a part. A few members of the cast had developed supposed allergy issues with a type of stage smoke that was used to create a smoky effect on stage. The product had been commonly used throughout the industry for years, and the issue of allergic reactions to it was unknown, so the company didn't take it too seriously. But for "Karen" it became major. She went to a local politician to file a complaint, saying that she was unable to perform, and ultimately city hall sent it on to the state level. The state agency with the best of intentions swooped in to protect everyone, and the theater company was "red flagged". Regulators were everywhere. So the company discontinued the use of the product and substituted a misting product that created a smoke effect by spraying about one teaspoon of mineral oil mist into the air. But suddenly "Karen" was allergic to common mineral oil too.
Soon she was allergic to everything. She had it in her mind that she was allergic to the smoke that was produced by stage torches which burned propane. She even had an allergic reaction when an empty torch was brought on stage. The propane cannister had been removed, and the torch was brought on all the way at the other end of the very large stage, but upon seeing it she immediately looked panic stricken and developed hives on the palms of her hands. I was beside her, and I saw them. So clearly there was a psychosomatic element to her allergies. But the company was forced to keep making adjustments for her. They did away with torches on stage. As for the new stage smoke, if even one drop of mineral oil was used, she did not have to report to work for the next three days so that all the air in the entire building could clear any hint of the oil mist.
Some members of the cast had complained that standing on a raked stage (sloping downward toward the audience) for too long hurt their backs. Hearing that, quickly "Karen" was unable to stand on a raked stage at all. She had to be placed on the sides of the stage where the floor was level. Asked once to just cross a short portion of the raked stage, she literally ran across as if her very life were in danger if she spent more than a few seconds on a sloped floor. Mind you, this was a person who often wore high heels without problem. One member of the cast complained that the wigs were itchy. So soon "Karen" couldn't go on stage if just one hair from her wig touched her skin. You get the idea. And because the company had been red flagged, there was nothing they could do about her. They had not taken her seriously enough from the start, and now they were viewed as hostile to workers' safety.
There are lots of "Karens" out there, and for them their issues and concerns can be very real. A company just has to know how to deal with them. It sounds to me like Nick is doing everything properly in dealing with the concerns of the locals. Some issues aren't really issues. Sometimes education is all that is needed. And sometimes you just have to work around the "Karens" because it's all in their heads and there's simply nothing you can do for them. But be willing to do whatever a government agency tells you to do! And in that regard Nick is doing the right thing.
