UW School of Energy Resources Releases Toolbox for Community Benefits Planning

The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) has released a resource guide and webpage to help Wyoming stakeholders craft community benefit plans (CBPs) in Wyoming.

Led by SER research professionals Selena Gerace and Madeleine Lewis in the Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis (CERPA), the toolbox provides a summary of key resources and strategies to use as guidance for developing CBPs in relation to applications for federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“CBPs are an increasingly common component of federal grant proposals and impose requirements related to community engagement, workforce development, diversity and inclusion, and ‘environmental justice’ around emerging energy projects,” says Gerace, who leads the community engagement efforts on research grants. “We have incorporated CBPs into all of our funding applications and have recognized that there are a lot of existing entities in the state that are critical in community engagement and benefit planning. This toolbox is a result of our efforts to compile these helpful resources into one location and streamline our process.”

In addition to incorporating CBPs into the internal projects at SER-led projects, many SER researchers have been approached by statewide organizations and private companies operating in Wyoming for their expertise and assistance. 

“This is a new and important frontier when it comes to the grant-writing process,” says Lewis, whose expertise in law and energy policy made her an asset on the project. “We want to support efforts to drive energy innovation in the state and to share our learning with the wider Wyoming community. We hope that this will empower them to pursue more funding opportunities that require a CBP.”

The “Community Benefits Planning Toolbox for Energy Development with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Resources and Guidance for Wyoming” focuses on four main areas that have been identified as requirements for a CBP: diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; community and labor stakeholder engagement; the Justice40 Initiative; and economic revitalization and job creation. Additionally, the toolbox includes a tab outlining the basic guidelines provided by DOE in writing a CBP.

Due to the prolific energy development projects occurring in the southwest and northeast corners of the state, resource tabs were created for Campbell County and Sweetwater County that provide links to specific data for use in the CBPs.

“We found that the majority of our requests were targeting these areas, so this is a small way in which we can help facilitate dialogue with the appropriate community resources,” Lewis says. “We will continue to add resources to the toolbox, and we encourage others to collaborate and share information moving forward.”

“Stakeholder engagement is one of CERPA’s three core functions at SER, so it was important for us to develop this toolbox to assist Wyoming entities in what has become a more complex grant application process,” says CERPA Director Kara Fornstrom. “Our team will be presenting the toolbox at the Wyoming Funding Summit in Riverton April 11, and we look forward to other opportunities to share this information with stakeholders.”

The CBP toolbox can be found on the CERPA website here. An interactive and printable PDF version also can be downloaded directly from the site.