WHAT IS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENT?[edit | edit source]
U.S. Department of Energy defines Community Benefit(s) Agreement (CBA) as a legally-binding document that defines multiple aspects of the relationships between a business or project developer and one or more units of local government. U.S. Department of Energy explains:
CBAs are strategic vehicles for community improvement, while benefiting private sector developers and both state and local governments. They are not zero-sum instruments. They are legal agreements between community benefit groups and developers, stipulating the benefits a developer agrees to fund or furnish, in exchange for community support of a project. Benefits can include commitments to hire directly from a community, contributions to economic trust funds, local workforce training guarantees and more. Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Toolkit [Web page, retrieved May 2023], https://www.energy.gov/diversity/community-benefit-agreement-cba-toolkit.
The U.S. Department of Energy has identified community benefits planning and resulting community benefits agreements as a key objective for its Energy Improvement in Rural and Remote Areas funding announcement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, February 2023, Guidance for Creating a Community Benefits Plan for Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas, available at “Program Announcements,” https://www.energy.gov/oced/energy-improvements-rural-or-remote-areas-0.
See also: U.S. Department of Energy, Clean Energy Infrastructure, About Community Benefits Plans [Web page, retrieved May 2023], https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/about-community-benefits-plans; and, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, 2017, Guide to Advancing Opportunities for Community Benefits through Energy Project Development, available at https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2017/09/f36/CBA%20Resource%20Guide.pdf.
REFERENCES[edit | edit source]
- Akibode, Comlanvi Sitou, 2017, Overview of Community Benefit Agreements and Status in Detroit, Michigan, Report for Michigan State University Center for Community and Economic Development. Available at: https://ced.msu.edu/upload/CBA%20report%20Final.pdf
- Lee, Amanda, 2022, Holding Banks Accountable to Communities: A breakdown of Community Benefit Agreements [Electronic article], The Greenlining Institute, https://greenlining.org/2022/community-benefit-agreement/
CBA Toolkits[edit | edit source]
- Cincinnati, Ohio: https://www.lisc.org/our-resources/resource/community-benefits-agreements-toolkit/.
- Scotland. Community benefit agreement template, Available from Local Energy Scotland, https://localenergy.scot/resource/tool-template-community-benefit-agreement/
- Tampa, Florida: Tampa Community Benefits Ordinance, (Ordinance Number 2023-6, § 2, 1-5-2023). https://library.municode.com/FL/Tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXICOBEPR
- add more Toolkits (in alphabetical order by location) as we can find them, please.
