Methodology
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. That’s why CA FWD and the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab 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 database of 328 agreements between developers and communities across the energy sector.
To ensure comprehensive coverage, we included agreements even when the full text was not publicly available. In these cases, entries were developed using credible secondary sources to maintain transparency and accuracy.
Agreements were included in this database if they met the following criteria:
Sectoral Focus
Defined Benefits
Community Relevance
Documented Commitments
Disclaimer: Please note that efforts have been made to ensure completeness and accuracy of the information in the database. Users are advised that this resource may include summaries or interpretations of information, and are encouraged to consult the original source documents for complete details.
Categorization Framework
Agreements by Industry, Sector, and Type
Distribution of Agreements and Plans by Industry
Share of Collection (%)Distribution of Agreements by Type
Share of Collection (%)Agreement Categorization
Project Information
Column A
ID
Each entry has a unique ID number. If the source document is publicly available, the ID number appears as a clickable hyperlink that links directly to the original agreement, plan, or other underlying text.
Column B
Project Name
Column C
Project Principal
Primary individual or entity responsible for the development, ownership, or execution of a project.
Column D
Counterparty
Organization(s) or entity(ies) that entered into the agreement with the Project Principal.
Column E
Counterparty Type
Type of organization(s) or entity(ies) that entered into the agreement with the Project Principal. Categories include:
- Academic InstitutionCity or Other Local Government
- County Government
- First Nations & Indigenous Government or Community
- Non-Governmental Organization
- Labor Union
- Private Equity
- State Government
- Utility
- N/A
Column F
Commitment Type
Specific framework outlining the relationship between the developers and counterparties. Categories include:
- Community Benefits Agreement
- Community Benefits Plan
- Community Development Agreement
- Good Neighbor Agreement
- Host Community Agreement
- Impact Benefit Agreement
- Joint Venture Agreement
- Neutrality and Workforce Development Agreement
- Payment-in-lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Agreement
- Project Labor Agreement
- Settlement Agreement
- Stipulation
Column G
Year Finalized
Year agreement was signed or plan was submitted.
Column H
City
City project is located in. If a project spans several jurisdictions, City is listed as “N/A”.
Column I
County
County project is located in. If a project spans several counties, County is listed as N/A.
Column J
State
State project is located in.
Column K
Region
Region project is located in, using the four United States (U.S.) Census regions.
Categories include:
- Mid-Atlantic
- Midwest
- Mountain West
- New England
- Non-Contiguous States
- Other
- South
- Southwest
- West Coast
Column L
Country
Country project is located in.
Community Characteristics
Column M
County Population
Population of county project is located in.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column N
Median Age
Median age of county’s population.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column O
Sex Ratio
Number of males per 100 females within the project’s county.
Data Source: Age and Sex Ratio, U.S. Census 2020
Column P
Unemployment Rate (%)
Unemployment rate of county project is located in.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column Q
Median Household Income ($)
Median household income of county project is located in.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column R
Per Capita Income ($)
Total income of the project’s county divided by the total population.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column S
Percent Below Poverty (%)
Percent of population in the county below the official poverty rate for the United States.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column T – AF
Employment by American Community Survey Major Industry Sectors.
Note: These columns are grouped and minimized in the spreadsheet.
Data Source: American Community Survey 5-year aggregate 2018-2023
Column AG
Industry Diversification
Coefficient of the variance in employment across industries.
Note: Relative variation (CV < 1) indicates that values are clustered near the mean, suggesting employment is relatively balanced across industries—a potential indicator of better economic diversity. Conversely, CV > 1 signifies high variation, indicating employment is concentrated in a few industries.
Column AH
Condensed Industry Classification
Categorizes each agreement or plan into a simplified industry classification, consolidating similar industries into broader categories for easier analysis and comparison.
- Clean Energy & Grid Infrastructure
- Clean Technology Manufacturing
- Critical Minerals Extraction & Processing
- Industrial and Building Decarbonization & Carbon Management
- Transportation & Legacy Energy Systems
Column AI
Project Industry
Industry that a project falls within, based on its primary activities and objectives. Categories are based on the U.S. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, and include:
- Battery & Energy Storage
- Carbon Sequestration & Storage
- Electric Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
- Electric Power Generation
- Electric Power Generation, Battery & Energy Storage
- Electrical Equipment & Component Manufacturing
- Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
- HVAC, Energy Efficiency Upgrades & Residential/Commercial Retrofit Construction
- Industrial Process Optimization & Pollution Control
- Mining, Quarrying & Extraction
- Rail Transportation & Transit Infrastructure
- Transmission, Control & Distribution
Column AJ
Supply Chain
The end-to-end process of producing and delivering goods and services. Categories include:
- Raw Material Extraction
- Raw Material Processing & Refinement
- Deployment & Generation
- Transportation
- Manufacturing
- Storage
- Transmission & Distribution
- End-of-Life Management & Recycling
- Capital Allocation
Column AK
Key Input/Output, if applicable
Essential inputs, including metals, minerals, and refined materials, or essential outputs, including battery components, solar, wind, etc. Categories include:
- Advanced Vehicles & Components (including automobile factory retooling)
- Aluminum
- Batteries
- Biomass
- Building Fixtures
- Captured & Sequestered Carbon
- Combined Cycle Gas
- Conductors
- Cement & Concrete
- Coal
- Cobalt
- Consumer Packaged Goods
- Copper
- Critical Materials
- Ethanol & Ethylene
- Fibers
- Generators
- Geothermal
- Gold
- Glass
- Graphite
- Heat Pumps
- Hydroelectric
- Hydrogen
- Iron
- Lithium
- Manganese
- Motors
- Methane
- Microgrid
- Nickel
- Nuclear
- Offshore Wind
- Onshore Wind
- Oil
- Semiconductors & Chips
- Solar
- Steel
- Wind
- Zinc
Column AL
Project-Specific Benefits
Site-specific benefits that a project provides as explicitly outlined in an agreement. Directly tied to the project’s construction, operation, or workforce. Categories include:
- Job Creation
- Education & Workforce Development (e.g., job growth, workforce training, apprenticeships)
- Employee Benefits & Childcare (e.g., employee childcare)
- Local Procurement & Business Growth (e.g., commitments to hire local businesses or suppliers)
- Union Agreements (e.g., labor neutrality)
- Environmental & Infrastructure Enhancements (e.g., on-site sustainability measures, energy efficiency improvements)
- Revenue Sharing
Column AM
Project-Adjacent Benefits
Broader, non-site-specific advantages that a project or initiative provides to the surrounding community, as explicitly outlined in the agreement. Not directly tied to the construction, operation, or workforce needs of the project itself. Categories include:
- Community Funds (e.g., community development funds, endowment funds)
- Community Engagement Initiatives
- Public Infrastructure Improvements (e.g., park upgrades, public transportation enhancements)
- Social and Cultural Investments (e.g., funding for local arts programs, recreational facilities)
- Educational Initiatives (e.g., support for local schools or scholarship programs)
- Health Initiatives (e.g. healthcare facilities)
- Housing Initiatives (e.g., support for renters’ assistance programs)
- Environmental Protection / Restoration Initiatives (e.g., endangered species habitat restoration)
Column AN
Advisory Council
Indicates whether an agreement or plan explicitly mentioned the development or utilization of an Advisory Council. If an agreement or plan explicitly states an Advisory Council, “Yes”. If not, “Unknown”.
Column AO
Funding & Foundational Support from External Partners
Indicates whether the agreement or plan received funding / foundational support from external partners to support agreement or plan development. If indicated in project materials, “Yes”. If not, “Unknown”.
Column AP
Other Agreement Mentioned
Indicates if a Community Benefits Plan references additional agreements that are currently in development or planned for future development. Categories include:
- Collective Bargaining Agreement
- Community Benefits Agreement
- Community Benefits Plan
- Community Development Agreement
- Good Neighbor Agreement
- Host Community Agreement
- Impact Benefit Agreement
- Joint Venture Agreement
- Neutrality and Workforce Development Agreement
- Payment-in-lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Agreement
- Project Labor Agreement
- Settlement Agreement
- Stipulation
- Tribal Agreement
Column AQ
Project Description
High-level overview of the project and the commitments outlined in the agreement or plan.
Column AR
Agreement Obtained
If the agreement or plan is obtained and included in the Collection, the box is checked.
Column AS
Project Source
Source of agreement or plan.
- City Government Website
- Clean Air Task Force
- Georgetown University “Community Benefits Agreements in Renewable Energy Siting”
- Jobs to Move America
- Project Website
- Reimagine Appalachia
- Rocky Mountain Institute
- Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
- Simon Fraser University
- U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office
- U.S. Department of Energy Grid Deployment Office
- U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of State and Community Energy Programs
- U.S. Department of Energy Grid Resilience Infrastructure Program
- U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office
- U.S. Department of Energy WINDExchange
- U.S. Department of Energy
- World Resources Institute
The Evaluation Criteria & Examples tab in the full data set is intended as a guide, not a scorecard, for identifying community benefit commitments and provisions that experts have highlighted as promising or emerging best practices. These include elements such as local hiring targets, dispute resolution mechanisms, or compliance metrics. The criteria are not intended to be exhaustive or equally weighted; rather, they serve as a reference point for users interested in exploring the types of provisions that may contribute to more accountable, equitable, and community-aligned agreements. The tab also provides examples of agreements in the Database that reflect these practices in action.
More information about the Database and Evaluation Criteria, as well as the history of agreements and assessments of agreements and plans across industries, can be found in “Rethinking Community Benefits: Industry Specific Insights for a Transforming California”.