Climate Infrastructure Investments Benefit Community

TL/DR –

Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) are tools used alongside infrastructure investments to provide benefits to hosting communities and are not legally binding. Nearly all projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act require the submission of a CBP, which are intended to address priorities like community engagement, quality job investment, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Justice 40 implementation. An initial review of these plans reveals the potential for significant community benefits, including job creation, community engagement and oversight, and training programs.

Climate Infrastructure Investments Yield Community Benefits

BIL and IRA Investment Overview

Community Benefits Tools such as Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) and Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) often accompany infrastructure investments, generating benefits for host communities. These tools differ in enforceability and participants. A CLEE report explored their use in energy projects.

About Community Benefits Plans

Community Benefits Plans aren’t legally binding but describe how a project will benefit a community. Almost all Bipartisan Infrastructure (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funded projects required a Community Benefits Plan (CBP). These plans aimed to address community engagement, job investment, diversity, equity, inclusion, and Justice 40 implementation.

The Trump Administration’s stance on CBPs is unclear, with an Executive Order and litigation suggesting a change in direction.

Benefits From These Plans?

Understanding CBPs is key, with a Berkeley Law student collecting over 630 project data. This information is presented on a map hosted by the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment.

An initial review of CBPs identified over 475,000 jobs created or retained, 64 project labor agreements, 71 collective bargaining agreements, and 33 community workforce agreements among the 635 projects included in CLEE’s map.

These plans also committed to training and recruitment, with 328 projects offering training programs, 195 with apprenticeship programs, and 268 implementing local and inclusive recruitment programs.

Much of these projects involved community and oversight engagements like good neighbor agreements and community advisory boards. The plans offer substantial workforce benefits and enable community engagement and project oversight.

Further analysis of these plans and their implementation is ongoing. Collaboration in this tracking project is welcomed at CLEE.

Interested to Learn More?

For more information on community benefits frameworks, check out a series of CLEE analyses, Columbia Law School’s Community Benefits Agreements Database and a community benefits frameworks database compiled by the World Resources Institute and Data for Progress.

Explore the compilation of trackers on CLEE’s website for information on how the Trump Administration affects climate and environmental actions.

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