How do we harness the power of billions of dollars of federal climate investments?
Ensure that new jobs are local with family wages, retirement, and health care benefits?
Create career pathways for all workers, regardless of race, class, and gender?
Ensure good jobs where the money stays in our community?
The answer to these questions will depend on how successfully we advocate for community benefits from these new federal investments. We can push for more. We have to. Our communities are at stake.
What are community benefit agreements?
To accomplish these ends and build local wealth, we are bringing Appalachians together to advocate for attaching community benefits and labor standards to new economic projects and funding opportunities.
A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is a negotiated legal agreement between a local coalition, often consisting of labor organizations, racial justice groups, environmental entities, faith communities, government agencies, and a development company. In a CBA, the local coalition aims to gain legally promised benefits to the community from the developer, such as commitments from contractors and developers to pay union wages, hire directly from the local community, create community-labor training partnerships, offer paid on-the-job training opportunities, and make contributions to trust funds for everything from affordable housing to child care. You can find a list of examples at our materials bank below. In exchange, the local coalition supports the developer’s project and this public-private partnership ensures a successful project for everyone involved.
A Community Benefits Plan (CBP) is the development of a community engagement process, however it is not binding to an agreement, though it may eventually lead to one. As part of the former Biden Administration’s Good Jobs Initiative, the federal Department of Energy (DOE) required applicants for competitive federal funding streams include a CBP. Other federal agencies followed suit. But as of early 2025, the Trump White House has chosen to freeze funds related to any project with a Community Benefits Plan. The future is unclear.
Our summit resources and materials bank include information on how to develop plans and options for what might be included into agreements.
You can read a lot more about how Community Benefit Agreements and Plans (CBAs and CBPs) work at our blog post here.
How can I learn more?
In May 2023, ReImagine Appalachia brought together hundreds of people from across Appalachia -virtually- to discuss that question. This event was one of our most successful and inspiring events yet! We had over 300 people register for this landmark event, which was planned by an advisory committee with feedback from several dozen groups across the region.
The agenda of this two-day, five-hour event in May 2023 involved moving participants from a basic Community Benefit Agreement 101 towards having concrete knowledge of how to participate in and guide community conversations that can provide the foundation for strong community and labor standards. We learned about successful case studies and discussed the importance of building trusting and collaborative relationships with a diverse group of community members and share strategies. Check out the recordings, resources, and notes here!
Materials
Below please find a continuously updated repository of community benefits materials so you can see case studies, skills, and tools on how to apply them to your community.
The Basics
Appalachian Community Benefit Network Call Series (by ReImagine Appalachia ) – ReImagine Appalachia hosts a call series to provide a space for the growing conversation around community benefits in the Appalachian region. These calls include a presentation followed by time for networking, discussing questions and sharing resources around community benefits.
Community Benefits 101 (by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services)– Learn the basics of CBAs and how they benefit the community in tangible, needed, measurable ways. This is an in depth introduction and includes resources if you would like to learn more.
ReImagine Appalachia Summit Debrief (by ReImagine Appalachia) – This is a fantastic overview of the CBA Summit in May 2023 – there are videos from each session, powerpoints, presentations, and other documents – even if you didn’t attend, by going through these resources and links, you will feel like you were there!
Maximizing value: Ensuring Community Benefits (by Amanda K. Woodrum, Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel, Stephen Herzenberg, Anna McLean) – Our gold standard of community benefit policies and agreements. A white paper via ReImagine Appalachia that overviews how community benefits agreement can create pathways to local prosperity and a thriving economy.
PowerSwitch Action (by PowerSwitch Action) – PowerSwitch is a network of 21 grassroots affiliates that weave strategic alliances and alignments amongst labor, neighborhood, housing, racial justice, faith, ethnic-based, and environmental organizations. Their work is grounded in breaking the interlocking chains of oppression and replacing them with systems built for human dignity and authentic democracy. They have a detailed overview of CBAs, including a long list of examples.
The Specifics
What’s the difference between a Community Benefit Plan and a Community Benefit Agreement (by ReImagine Appalachia) – Community Benefit Plans are not exactly the same thing as a community benefit agreement. Instead, it’s a non-binding process of community engagement. What should / could that look like?
1. Community Benefit Plans Series Part I: Community Benefits Plans: How do they work? A deep dive!
Part I of this series is an outline of what Community Benefits Plans are and in particular, how they differ from Community Benefit Agreements
2. ReImagine Appalachia’s Community Benefit Plans Series Part II: The Department of Energy’s New Approach to Community Benefits Plans (CPBs)
Part II of this series describes the DoE’s now former approach to CBPs and gives advice to those who wish to begin developing a CBP in their community.
Expert Insights on Best Practices for Community Benefits Agreements (by Sabin Center for Climate Change Law) – This report outlines 35 recommendations for developers and host communities when negotiating and drafting Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) for clean energy projects. These recommendations come from interviews with attorneys and other experts who have collectively negotiated dozens of CBAs for climate infrastructure and other types of projects.
The Law of Community Benefits Agreements. (by Julian Gross. Chapter in Building Healthy Communities: A Guide to Community Economic Development for Advocates, Lawyers, and Policymakers; a publication of the Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development of the American Bar Association, 2009) – This chapter describes several legal and political issues that may arise when writing and implementing a CBA, as well as varying roles for public and private actors.
Common Challenges in Negotiating Community Benefits Agreements & How to Avoid Them (by Partnership for Working Families and Community Benefits Law Center, January 2016) – This guide is designed for individuals and organizations interested in moving community benefits campaigns forward in their communities. The guide includes detailed checklists, case studies on ineffective and harmful CBA practices, charts breaking down and comparing the elements of strong and weak CBAs, principles for effective CBAs, indicators of potentially weak CBAs, and other resources designed to help you with your community benefits campaigns.
Leveraging Community Benefit Frameworks: Empowering Communities to Benefit from Energy Projects (by National Academies) – National Academies hosted a two-day workshop to help folks better understand CBAs within a broader national context. The workshop covered the DOE’s former Community Benefits Plan (CBP) process, models and tools for successful negotiations, and frameworks for long-term community capacity building. The workshop recordings are available for anyone to view. While the DOE no longer has an official CBP process, the information found in this workshop still provides helpful insights.
RMI’s Community Benefits Catalog (by RMI, written by Kristine Chan-Lizardo, Zach Clayton, and David Valdes) – National Academies hosted a two-day workshop to help folks better understand CBAs within a broader national context. The workshop covered the DOE’s Community Benefits Plan (CBP) process, models and tools for successful negotiations, and frameworks for long-term community capacity building. The workshop recordings are available for anyone to view.
Rural Communities
CBA’s in Rural Context: Coal Mine Reclamation (by App Voices and Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition) – Community Benefits Agreements are legally binding contracts between community representatives and a developer, and can empower vulnerable communities to hold the developer accountable and ensure that the development benefits the local community. Coal impacted land remediation can be part of a CBA. While often difficult to incent a developer to finance remediation work, if the project is in the local community’s best interest, the terms of the agreement may include conditions that the locality or developer commit to funding the cleanup.
Community Benefits Agreements: A Potential Negotiating Tool for Rural Communities (by Mountain Association for Community Economic Development) – CBAs can provide meaningful and enriching benefits for communities who are facing large-scale development in their communities: investing in a permanent community fund, prioritizing local workforce hiring, enriching community assets, or mitigating environmental impacts. This paper provides illuminating examples of rural CBAs in action.
Negotiating Community Benefits Agreements: Lessons learned from a rural mining community. (by Jackson Rose. Earth Sciences Department, Montana State University. 2023) – This is a powerpoint presentation covering the basics of CBAs in mining project contexts, potential challenges of CBAs in these situations, and lessons learned from a case study of Meagher County, MT.
Leveraging Renewable Energy Investments for Rural Development (by Cap20) – This report from the Center for American Progress provides an overview of what the DOE looked for in applicants’ CBA plans during the Biden Administration. The report includes a comprehensive introduction to CBAs, along with a definitions section, as well as informative sections on Community Benefits in Action, Evaluating Equity Plans, Advice from Companies, Workforce Training and Hiring Strategies, and Recommendations. While this resource was initially intended for those applying for DOE opportunities, it is still a great resource for those interested in developing a more in depth understanding of CBAs, though all readers will benefit from taking a look at it.
Modeling a Just Transition in Virginia’s Coalfields (by Appalachian Voices – Community survey conducted in partnership with the Appalachian Center for Civic Life at Emory and Henry College) – Developed by Appalachian Voices, this report highlights perspectives on low-carbon energy technologies from coalfield leaders and local government officials in Southwest Virginia. Additionally, the report discusses various paths communities can take to transition their energy and describes best practices for participatory community engagement such as community benefit agreements. Readers explore an example of how a diverse group of stakeholders successfully centered residents and workers in the new solar industry, while also supporting community engagement, creating an action plan and establishing financing by learning from The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia.
Thrive Rural Framework: Field Perspectives Series. What (And Who) Counts? Defining Rural Development Success (by Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group) – Four distinct rural development practitioners, Shanna Ratner, Ines Polonius, Mark Little, and Anita Brown-Graham, share perspectives on Rural Development Success centered around the question: What counts as Rural Development Success? And for Whom?
This brief has many connections to the Thrive Rural Framework, a tool designed for users to stock, target action, and gauge progress on equitable rural prosperity.
What Small Town and Rural Leaders Need to Know About Community Benefits Agreements (by Rural Organizing) – Rural Organizing Education Fund’s latest tool is designed to help readers answer the question: Is your rural community ready with priorities if a renewable energy project wants to set up shop? This resource explores CBAs in small towns and rural communities, and their potential to ensure that significant energy development projects have significant benefits to local communities.
Community Benefit Agreements and Funds: A summary of key literature and case studies (by Jackson C. Rose & Julia H. Haggerty. Resources & Communities Research Group, Earth Sciences Department, Montana State University. 2018.) – This report explores the mechanics and outcomes of community benefits agreements (CBAs) and community benefit funds (CBFs) in the context of major industrial projects (such as mines) located in rural communities. The purpose of this report is to inform community decision makers and other stakeholders responding to proposals for major industrial projects about some of the challenges they face and options for negotiating those challenges.
Navigating The Local Costs and Benefits of Modern Mineral Mines: The Role of Non-Regulatory Agreements (by Jackson Cooper Rose. Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University. 2020.) – This thesis explores natural resource development at the local level from the perspective of resource peripheries in the United States. Using three case studies—two in Montana and one in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—this study combines qualitative mixed-methods with on-the-ground experience to explore the dynamics of the costs and benefits of extractive industries in the context of short-duration, high-impact underground mines.
An RPC Guide To: Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) for Rural Electric Cooperatives – (by The Rural Power Coalition) – This guide aims to assist electric cooperatives and key community stakeholders as they navigate the community benefits planning process. Both rural cooperatives and rural communities can benefit from this guide and recommendations.
To learn more, feel free to reach out at [email protected].
Community Benefits, Toolkits and Step-by-Step Guides
Action Tank CBA Toolkit (by Action Tank Cincinnati) – This is an incredible resource created by Action Tank Cincinnati that introduces users to CBAs, their benefits, and when to use them. It then outlines a step-by-step guide to creating and utilizing a CBA in user’s own communities.
Emerald Cities Justice40 Playbook (by Emerald Cities) – This playbook offers frontline groups and community organizations guidance for developing a People’s Justice40+ Community Benefit Plan (CBP). The goal of Justice40+ is to ensure that federal infrastructure and climate investments significantly benefit the communities that need them most. This playbook will answer a range of questions about various federal spending bills.
ReImagine Your Community Toolkit (by ReImagine Appalachia, the League of Women Voters Pennsylvania, ReImagine Beaver County) – For phase one, visioning, this toolkit provides hands-on guidance on how faith communities can vision, and, in time, implement sustainable development projects in their neighborhood, town, county, or region. This toolkit is a project of ReImagine Appalachia’s Faith in Action team and the League of Women Voters in Pennsylvania.
BlueGreen Alliance Checklist for Federal Funding Applications (by BlueGreen Alliance) – The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and CHIPS and Science Act hold incredible transformational potential in the Appalachian region. This checklist outlines and supports the consistent use of the application criteria for Workforce, Worker Rights and Protections, Engaging and Targeting Investments to Communities and Workers, Reducing Emissions and Ensuring Environmental Justice, and Reinvesting in U.S. Manufacturing.
All-In Cities’ Community Benefits Agreements Toolkit (All-In Cities) – This resource has four main comprehensive categories:
- What is it?
- Who implements it?
- Key considerations
- Where is it working?
The toolkit concisely summarizes the benefits of CBAs and outlines key examples of CBAs in action. This is a great introductory and/or refresher resource for anyone wanting to learn more about CBAs.
Just Communities Protocol (Partnership for Southern Equity and Just Communities) – The Just Communities Protocol is a verification standard and implementation framework for equitable and regenerative development. The Protocol aims to help communities advance racially equitable and environmentally regenerative development, and deliver meaningful social, economic development in a variety of areas. Ultimately, the goal is to catalyze a new generation of community-scale development to address rising inequality and global warming.
Community Questions for Joining Boards (by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services) – This resource guides community members who are thinking about joining an advisory board or committee through a comprehensive list of questions and considerations to ask before joining.
Project Labor Agreement (PLA) Toolkit (by National Association for Fair Contracting) – This is the new Project Labor Agreement Toolkit by the National Association for Fair Contracting, which includes fact sheets, messaging, sources, and more. To download, click on the link and enter your information.
The Community Benefit Guide
An outstanding resource from Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services and partner organizations
Community Benefits Guide (by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services worked in collaboration with Riverwise and many other community based organizations, local businesses, and residents in Beaver County, PA, and other Ohio River Valley towns) –
Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services’ “choose your own adventure” guide has been designed for community advocates and leaders who want to bring community benefits – through community benefit agreements, plans, or ordinances – to their communities. This is an incredible resource for locating tools, templates, and examples that all communities can adapt to bring tangible and concrete benefits, protections, and transparency along with new development.
There are three sections in this guide for you to explore, spanning community education, technical assistance, and legal support. Each of these sections are explored in more detail below.
Community Benefit Guide: Community Benefits in Southwestern Pennsylvania (Written by Riverwise. Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services worked in collaboration with Riverwise and many other community based organizations, local businesses, and residents in Beaver County, PA, and other Ohio River Valley towns.) – This section of the Community Benefit Guide was written by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services’ partner, Riverwise. Built from the recognition that community members must be “at the table” to participate in decision making, this section includes reflections about community benefits from the standpoint of an interested but cautious group of community stakeholders.
Community Benefit Guide: Community Benefits Information, Processes, Tools and Templates – (by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services worked in collaboration with Riverwise and many other community based organizations, local businesses, and residents in Beaver County, PA, and other Ohio River Valley towns.) –
This portion of the Community Benefit Guide provides tools that allow you to work in your community to move benefits. This resource includes:
Please also refer to the links provided in the resource description.
Community Benefit Guide: Community Education –(by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services worked in collaboration with Riverwise and many other community based organizations, local businesses, and residents in Beaver County, PA, and other Ohio River Valley towns.) This section of the guide provides agendas and materials to facilitate community outreach and education initiatives around community benefits in your community.
Example CBA’s
Here are some other examples CBA’s that you may find useful. ReImagine was not involved in these and merely sharing for informational and educational purposes.
Community Benefits Agreements Database (by Sabin Center for Climate Change Law) – The Sabin Center has compiled this database of publicly available CBAs in conjunction with the publication of a guide on Expert Insights on Best Practices for Community Benefits Agreements. More information about several of the CBAs listed below can be found here. CBA projects in this database range from renewable energy to transportation to entertainment.
PowerSwitch Action List of Examples – You can find another great list of examples at this site.
Nashville, TN 2018 – A coalition called Stand Up Nashville successfully advocated for this CBA in connection with a soccer stadium development project. The CBA includes, among other things, commitments on jobs that pay a living wage, hiring priorities, affordable housing, and a childcare center.
Charlotte, PA 2016 – The Town of Charlotte and Cassadaga Wind LLC made a CBA around a new 126 megawatt (MW) wind powered electric generation facility, consisting of up to 58 wind turbines. Cassadaga agreed to pay the town a one-time payment of $1,000 times the amount of wind turbines built, $3,800 per MW of nameplate rated capacity per turbine annually, and repair any damaged roads after construction.
Cincinnati, OH 2017 – Using the local purchasing power enabled by the State of Ohio’s Community Choice Aggregation policy, the City of Cincinnati issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a 25-MegaWatt solar project in order to help meet the electricity demands of the City Cincinnati, its small businesses and its residents, while encouraging the use of project labor agreements and on-the-job training opportunities while moving closer to the City’s goal of becoming 100% renewable by 2035 and avoiding energy cost increases for the city.
Pittsburgh, PA 2008 – The One Hill Neighborhood Coalition entered into a CBA with redevelopers around the development in the Hill District. The Master Plan included extensive community input, including focus groups. Additionally, the redevelopers committed up to $1 million for a grocery store in the Hill District, with agreements around healthy and affordable food, local hiring, and minimum square footage. Additionally, the redevelopers agreed to establish a model first source referral center to provide or coordinate job preparation, counseling, training and supportive services for employment at the Hill District.
San Diego, CA 2005 – The CBA outlined numerous community benefits such as quality jobs with healthcare benefits for workers, affordable housing created for working families and residents in surrounding communities, and environmentally-sensitive construction and design.
Los Angeles, CA 2005 – This Community Benefits Agreement set forth (1) a range of community benefits and impact mitigations that will be provided by the Los Angeles World Airports as part of the LAX Master Plan Program, and (2) an ongoing role for the LAX Coalition in implementation and oversight of these benefits and mitigations. The agreement includes residential noise mitigation, Suspension of Avigation Easement, job training and first source hiring, and living wage, worker retention, and contractor responsibility, among other agreements.
Howell Township, New Jersey 2024 – Howell Township entered a CBA with Resource Recycling LLC, who operate a Class B Recycling Facility and process over 68,000 tons of brush, trees, tree parts, tree stumps and wood on an annual basis, and also collects topsoil and fill dirt, which the LLC sells as products to local landscapers. Resource Recycling proposed the construction of a new solid waste transfer station to process Type.13 waste (appliances, furniture, etc.) andType 13C waste (construction debris), of which the global market is projected to substantially increase. Resource Recycling agreed to pay the Township $5.00 per ton of material processed, with a 2% increase per year, and accept the Township’s brush waste at a 50% discount. Resource Recycling also agreed to pay the Township $50,000.00 to the Township’s Open Space Fund.
Nebraska, 2024 – This is a very comprehensive and detailed CBA. Trailblazer Carbon Dioxide (C02) Pipeline, LLC, a subsidiary of the Tallgrass Energy family of companies located in Kansas, and Bold Education Fund Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, and Bold Alliance Inc., a 501(c)(4), entered a CBA around the carbon dioxide pipeline system’s main line and new pipeline laterals. CBA commitments include, but are not limited to: $100,000 to support the development or enhancement of a regional C02 emergency communication alert system; $200,000 to fund the development and deployment of a First Responder C02 training Program; $400,000 to support emergency response organizations to purchase equipment that assists in the preparation, detection, and response to a C02 release; and establish a community investment fund with an initial investment of $500,000.
Bold Alliance calls this CBA a “first-of-its-kind agreement” that “establishes significant collaborative initiatives for landowners, public safety and community investment.”
Montana, 2000 (amended in 2023) – The Stillwater Mining Company, a Delaware corporation conducting exploration, development, extraction, processing and refining of platinum group metals, and Northern Plains, Cottonwood Resource Councils, and Stillwater Protective Association entered a CBA around the Stillwater Mine Expansion and the East Boulder Mine Development. Stillwater agreed to directly pay up to $30,000 per audit for Environmental Audits, $12,000 per Reclamation Plan and Bond Evaluation, $20,000 per sampling year for the long term fisheries population monitoring program, up to $200,000 for supplemental Ground Water Studies, and more.
Los Angeles, 2020 – Los Angeles County, CA experienced a historic CBA win in 2020 when Jobs to Move America’s community-labor coalition, Proterra, and the United Steelworkers Local 675 (USW 675) entered a CBA. The CBA focused on workforce development in zero-emissions bus manufacturing and apprenticeship program development.
Anniston, AL and California 2022 – In this multi-state CBA Jobs to Move America, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and New Flyer of America Inc. have come to agreements to support workers and surrounding communities to certain New Flyer manufacturing facilities.
Further Reading
Legal Enforcement of CBAs – Research & Recommendations for Community Coalitions – (Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services. Researched and written by Daniel Weimer, Fair Shake Legal Intern. December 1, 2023.) – The in-depth report explains the most common ways in which a private CBA between community members and a developer can be implemented and maintained. For more information and additional resources, tools, and levers, visit: https://www.fairshake-els.org/community-organizing-resources
This resource is part of Fair Shake Environmental Legal Service’s Community Democracy River. For more information, visit: https://www.fairshake-els.org/community-democracy-program
Community Benefits Reimagined and Refined – (by ReImagine Appalachia, written by Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D. and Amanda Woodrum ) – The Appalachian region has long been the driving force behind the nation’s economic prosperity. However, many Appalachian communities have been left behind, and the workforce and lands have been exploited. This blog post explores the ways in which all communities can secure benefits.
Do Community Benefits Agreements Benefit Communities?
This Article places focus back on CBAs as private contracts enforceable by inclusive and representative community coalitions. – Edward De Barbieri. Cardozo Law Review, Vol. 37, June 2016; Brooklyn Law School, Legal Studies Paper No. 462 (2016).
Community Benefits Agreements – the Los Angeles Staples Development
This toolkit describes implementation of the landmark CBA for the Staples development in Los Angeles; an appendix listing past CBAs; an appendix describing some current community benefits campaigns; and several sections on legal issues, community benefits, victories, and new approaches. Making Development Projects Accountable, Julian Gross, with Greg LeRoy and Madeline Janis-Aparicio (2005).
Affordable Housing Equitable Development Rubric
This Equitable Development Rubric, along with the accompanying framework, provide a baseline for a creative and inclusive housing policy in Cincinnati. – Peaslee Neighborhood Center.
Community Democracy River Community Benefits: Community Benefit Agreements
This document describes community benefits and includes a detailed summary of many community benefit agreements from across the country to help you get a sense of what’s been done and what’s possible. – Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services.
The Current: Community Organizing – Resources and Tools (by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services) – This is an incredible place to find resources for community organizers. With a robust range of topic categories, including identifying strengths, visioning, engaging your community, communications and messaging, and more, Fair Shake provides community organizers with a comprehensive guide for community organizing.
Companies Succeed, Communities Benefit: A Bluegreen Alliance User Guide for Companies to Demonstrate Community Benefits in Federal Funding Applications (by BlueGreen Alliance) – Due to the funding the Biden Administration introduced through the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), and the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, Federal agencies are now tasked with distributing more than $2 trillion nationwide to revitalize manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, support clean energy deployment, tackle the climate crisis, create good union jobs, and deliver benefits to communities. This user guide provides recommendations designed to help organizations create strong federal funding applications. BlueGreen Alliance has created this material guided by their foundational principle “that we can no longer choose between good jobs and a clean environment—that the actions we take to create quality jobs and to protect working people and the environment must go hand-in-hand, and that together, we will build a clean, prosperous, and fair economy.”
Please direct your questions to [email protected] for more information.