Leveraging Community Benefit Frameworks: Empowering Communities to Benefit from Federally Funded Energy Projects: Proceedings of a Workshop (2025)
Chapter: Appendix A: Workshop Agenda
A
Workshop Agenda
National Academy of Sciences Building
Washington, DC
Purpose: A community benefits agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract to ensure residents and neighborhoods benefit directly from large development projects or initiatives. CBAs aim to foster collaboration, equity, and accountability in development processes while providing tangible advantages from a project to the affected community. During this 2-day workshop, experts and thought leaders from communities, community-based organizations, federal agencies, academia, and the private sector will: gain a better understanding of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) community benefits plan (CBP) process; learn about CBAs and situate them in the broader context of other frameworks for providing community benefits; hear about successful engagement models, tools, and resources needed for meaningful negotiation; and understand what is required for proactive and long-term capacity building in communities.
MAY 16, 2024
| 9:00–9:30 |
Welcoming Remarks and Introductions
Kasia Kornecki, National Academies’ Board on Energy and Environmental Systems Devashree Saha, World Resources Institute, Workshop Committee Chair |
| 9:30–11:00 | DOE’s CBP Process Implementation and Improvement This session will hear from various DOE offices about their approach to CBPs and what feedback they have received thus far. A moderated panel discussion will touch on why the CBP process was developed and what barriers have been experienced. A Q&A session will follow. |
| 11:00–12:00 |
Perspectives, Part 1
This session will look at the CBP process from the perspective of community-based organizations and nonprofits. A moderated discussion will elevate recommendations for how success can be achieved during the engagement and negotiation processes. A Q&A session will follow. Moderated By: Margaret Cook, Houston Advanced Research Center Speakers: Amanda Woodrum, Reimagine Appalachia Elizabeth Kocs, GTI Energy Jane Fleming Kleeb, Bold Alliance Jennifer, Air Alliance Houston |
| 12:00–12:30 |
Spotlight Story: Montana’s Black Butte Copper Project
Sandfire Resources’ Black Butte Copper project is the first copper mine in Montana that has been permitted in more than 40 years. The project faced divided opinions amongst local communities due to its proximity to the Smith River, but a CBA was ultimately reached. This spotlight will tell the story of the negotiation of this CBA from the perspective of both the developer and a community member. Moderated By: Mark Haggerty, Center for American Progress Speakers: Jackson Rose, Montana State University Nancy Schlepp, Sandfire Resources America |
| 12:30–1:00 | LUNCH |
| 1:00–1:30 | DOE’s Community Benefit Planning Game Overview—Lunch Presentation |
| 1:30–2:30 |
Frameworks for Delivering Community Benefits
This session will highlight the different results of negotiations, including project labor agreements, community workforce agreements, good neighbor agreements, and CBAs. A moderated discussion will hear from scholars, legal experts, and community and labor representatives about the difference between these frameworks and the intersections between various agreements. A Q&A session will follow. Moderated By: Marcel Akhame, Breakthrough Energy Speakers: Hadia Sheerazi, Rocky Mountain Institute |
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Jay Mehta, Jobs to Move America Julian Gross, Law Office of Julian Gross Madeline Schomburg, Energy Futures Initiative |
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| 2:30–3:30 |
Build a Community Benefits Plan Activity
During this session, in-person members of the audience will be invited to work in small groups to develop a CBP for an imaginary community. This activity was developed by DOE’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity and will be facilitated with their support. |
| 3:30–5:00 |
Lessons Learned from Decades of Community Benefits Negotiation
This session will invite the audience to share their experiences with and involvement in various community benefits processes. A moderated fishbowl discussion will ask invited speakers to talk about the lessons they have learned from their experiences that they believe can inform DOE’s CBP process and help other community groups and organizations through negotiations with developers. A discussion session will follow with audience members encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences. Moderated By: Natasha Udu-gama, American Geophysical Union Thriving Earth Exchange Speakers: Bonnie Ram, Ram Consultancy Jackson Rose, Montana State University Meghan Wilson, Michigan State University Romany Webb, Columbia Law School |
| 5:00–5:15 | Closing Remarks Devashree Saha, World Resources Institute, Workshop Committee Chair |
MAY 17, 2024
| 9:00–9:30 | Highlights from Day 1 Devashree Saha, World Resources Institute, Workshop Committee Chair |
| 9:30–10:45 | Perspectives, Part 2 This session will directly hear from representatives of community-based organizations who will share their perspectives on the challenges encountered during community engagement efforts and while negotiating with |
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developers. A moderated discussion will highlight factors and conditions that enable community groups to reach successful outcomes. A Q&A session with the audience will follow.
Moderated By: Annie Contractor, Rural Organizing Education Fund Speakers: Meagan Niebler, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Children’s Defense Fund and Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative Rebekah Gorbea, Tennessee 4 All Scott Douglas, Greater Birmingham Ministries Theo Pride, Detroit People’s Platform |
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| 10:45–12:00 |
Perspectives, Part 3
This session will hear from the private sector about their experiences with DOE’s CBP application process and with community engagement. A moderated panel discussion will highlight the successes and gaps of the CBP process and elevate opportunities to address the challenges of implementation. A Q&A session with the audience will follow. Moderated By: Devashree Saha, World Resources Institute, Workshop Committee Chair Speakers: Kim Medford, Entek Mark Haggerty, Center for American Progress Todd Malan, Talon Metals |
| 12:00–1:00 | LUNCH |
| 1:00–2:30 |
Building Proactive and Long-Term Capacity for Communities
This session will discuss how community benefits frameworks can support the development of enduring community coalitions, build power in place, and extend capacity to deliver community benefits. A moderated panel discussion will elevate practices for developing strong community infrastructure to support negotiation and ensure enforcement and accountability. A Q&A session with the audience will follow. Moderated By: Louise Bedsworth, University of California, Berkeley |
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Speakers:
Ann Rogan, Edge Collaborative John Hall, Houston Advanced Research Center Matthew Tejada, Natural Resources Defense Council Wendolyn Holland, Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy |
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| 2:30–3:00 | Workshop Themes Discussion |
| 3:00 | ADJOURN WORKSHOP |
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