Cut a text to a target length, content last

Cut the text below to [TARGET, E.G. 300 WORDS / HALF ITS CURRENT LENGTH] without losing meaning. Work through these passes in order — cheapest cuts first, content cuts only if the target still isn't met.

Pass 1 — Filler: delete padding ("in order to" → "to," "the fact that," "it is important to note," and "very / really / quite" where they add nothing).
Pass 2 — Redundancy: collapse doubled phrases and repeated ideas — "each and every," a point made in two consecutive sentences, an example illustrating something already clear.
Pass 3 — Constructions: rewrite weak passives and nominalizations where the actor matters ("a decision was made to" → "we decided to").
Pass 4 — Consolidation: merge sentences that share a subject or repeat scaffolding.
Pass 5 — Content, only if still over target: cut whole points, starting with the least load-bearing. List every point removed at this level so I can veto individual cuts.

Must survive intact: [ANY SENTENCES, CAVEATS, OR SECTIONS THAT CANNOT BE CUT OR REWORDED]

Deliver:
1. The cut version.
2. Word counts: original → final.
3. The pass-5 list of dropped points, or "none — target reached by tightening" if you never needed pass 5.
4. One sentence on whether the target actually fits this text, or whether the last cuts cost real meaning — I would rather renegotiate the limit than publish something gutted.

Text:
[PASTE THE TEXT]