What are Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Groups?
What are Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Groups?
Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Groups (CBIAGs) were created from section 6 of HB 2021: Clean Energy Act.
Any electric company that files a clean energy plan is required to convene a Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Group. The members of these groups are determined by the electric company with input from stakeholders that represent the interests of customers or affected entities within the electric company’s service territory.
Members must include representatives of environmental justice communities and low-income ratepayers, additionally, CBIAGs may include representatives from other affected entities within the electric company’s service territory.Community Energy Project is part of multiple Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Groups, including the Portland General Electric CBIAG and the Pacific Power CBIAG.
These groups play an important role in shaping how the electric company’s programs deliver meaningful benefits to the community, ensuring that each project’s impacts are thoroughly evaluated and addressed to support local residents while minimizing harm. As key representatives of community interests, CBIAGs hold significant influence in the decision-making process, helping to ensure that community voices are not only heard but actively shape the outcomes.Electric companies are mandated to develop biennial reports that assess community benefits and impacts of the electric company, in consultation with the CBIAGs. This report is filed with the Public Utility Commission.
The biennial report must include:
Energy burdens and disconnections for residential customers and disconnections for small commercial customers
Opportunities to increase contracting with businesses owned by women, veterans or BIPOC individuals
Actions within environmental justice communities within the electric company’s service territory intended to improve resilience during adverse conditions or facilitate investments in the distribution system, including investments in facilities that generate non-emitting electricity
Distribution of infrastructure or grid investments and upgrades in environmental justice communities in the electric company’s service territory, including infrastructure or grid investments that facilitate the electric company’s compliance with the clean energy targets
Social, economic, or environmental justice co-benefits that result from the electric company’s investments, contracts, or internal practices
Customer experience information, including a review of annual customer satisfaction surveys
Actions to encourage customer engagement and other items as determined by the electric company and the electric company’s CBIAG
Electric companies may also engage their CBIAG to advise on other matters, including but not limited to:
The development and equitable implementation of a clean energy plan
The development and equitable implementation of a distribution system
Equitable contracting practices
Best practices and strategies for reducing energy burden and disconnections in the electric company’s service territory
Learn more about the CBIAGs that CEP is part of: