A resource for community benefits agreements
Related:
Approaches to Balancing Meaningful Community Engagement With Increased Housing Production in California: A Scoping Paper for the Abundance Accelerator
Community Engagement for the Siting & Permitting of Renewable Energy Infrastructure in California: A Scoping Paper for the Abundance Accelerator
Transitioning the United States energy system to one that’s more sustainable and resilient will bring huge investment into countless new projects – whether critical mineral mining, energy supply chain manufacturing, or clean energy generation. When the developers of these projects collaborate well with host communities, everyone benefits. UC Berkeley Possibility Lab and CA FWD are working together to build the capacity of regions and communities to engage effectively in negotiations with energy project developers across California and the broader U.S.
Our collaboration launched in December with Phase 1 of this project, which included building a digital data base of 328 agreements between developers and communities across the energy sector. Each agreement establishes specific commitments between developers and impacted communities, outlining the distribution of social, economic, and/or environmental benefits generated by the project. Commitments can take many forms and should be determined based on identified community priorities and project characteristics. The database includes different types of agreements, such as Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs), Host Community Agreements, Workforce Development Agreements, Community Benefits Plans, and more.
Our collaboration launched in December with Phase 1 of this project, which included building a digital data base of 328 agreements between developers and communities across the energy sector. Each agreement establishes specific commitments between developers and impacted communities, outlining the distribution of social, economic, and/or environmental benefits generated by the project. Commitments can take many forms and should be determined based on identified community priorities and project characteristics. The database includes different types of agreements, such as Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs), Host Community Agreements, Workforce Development Agreements, Community Benefits Plans, and more.
Explore the databaseOver a year ago, UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab launched an “Abundance Accelerator” to explore 12 key issue areas where abundance policy can make a real impact. Energy, being one of the issue areas, highlights the importance of the digital database as a tool that will build the capacity of regions and communities to engage effectively in negotiations with energy project developers across California and the broader U.S.
As the conversation on Abundance gains momentum in the private and public sectors, the digital CBA Database serves as an example of the mechanisms needed for new models of engagement. These models aim to foster inclusive decision-making and encourage consensus rather than gridlock. The digital repository is an example of deliberative and digital tools that will help enhance transparency and strengthen engagement.
The repository was just one piece of a graduate capstone project done for CA FWD by Melissa Moyce at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. Melissa’s capstone report, “Rethinking Community Benefits: Industry Specific Insights for a Transforming California,” draws from the database and her broader research effort, including expert interviews, policy analysis, and case studies, to assess how project benefits are being shared across three important industries in the energy transition: critical mineral extraction, clean tech manufacturing, and renewable energy.
The repository was just one piece of a graduate capstone project done for CA FWD by Melissa Moyce at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. Melissa’s capstone report, “Rethinking Community Benefits: Industry Specific Insights for a Transforming California,” draws from the database and her broader research effort, including expert interviews, policy analysis, and case studies, to assess how project benefits are being shared across three important industries in the energy transition: critical mineral extraction, clean tech manufacturing, and renewable energy.
Key takeaways from the report include:
* Project benefit agreements are underutilized and lack consistent structures across commitment, project, and counterparty types.
* Limited community capacity to negotiate can contribute to both inequity and project uncertainty.
* When community and worker priorities are clear, everyone benefits.
* Local governments are increasingly using project benefit agreements as tools of public governance.
The report outlines potential strategies to advance effective project benefit-sharing across California. These include tying public funding and procurement to meaningful benefit commitments, following federal models like the Department of Energy’s Community Benefits Plan framework; piloting Community Benefit Ordinances (CBOs) at the local and regional levels to establish clearer, more transparent negotiation pathways; expanding the use of co-ownership and revenue-sharing models to support long-term community wealth-building; and strengthening access to technical assistance to ensure communities can engage as effectively as possible.
The report outlines potential strategies to advance effective project benefit-sharing across California. These include tying public funding and procurement to meaningful benefit commitments, following federal models like the Department of Energy’s Community Benefits Plan framework; piloting Community Benefit Ordinances (CBOs) at the local and regional levels to establish clearer, more transparent negotiation pathways; expanding the use of co-ownership and revenue-sharing models to support long-term community wealth-building; and strengthening access to technical assistance to ensure communities can engage as effectively as possible.
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