Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities

The report details survey results from the Ironbound Community (New Jersey), Navajo Nation Chapters (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah), and St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes (Louisiana). It finds widespread skepticism toward developers due to unfulfilled past promises and low initial awareness of CBPs. While support for CBPs increased after residents were informed of potential benefits, priorities varied: environmental quality (water and air) and affordable housing were highly valued, while specific clean energy funding like EV charging stations ranked lower. Residents strongly emphasized the need for transparent, accessible engagement and the inclusion of small business owners and environmental groups in negotiations.

• A majority of residents across all three surveyed communities believe that developers failed to keep promises for previous projects and that community engagement was inadequate.
• Initial awareness of Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) and similar workforce or project agreements is low, with no agreement type being known by more than 30% of residents.
• While initial support for CBPs ranged from 52.1% to 69.9%, this support increased after residents received detailed information about potential benefits, though about one in six remained skeptical.
• Small business owners and environmental groups are the most consistently desired participants in CBP negotiations across all three communities.
• Residents strongly favor community engagement activities focused on transparency and accessibility, particularly public town halls and the building of trust.
• Improving water and air quality is perceived as more important than funding for specific clean energy technologies like community solar panels or electric vehicle charging stations.
• There is no single consensus on the most important benefits, but high priorities include affordable housing, climate resilience, and funding for mental health and substance abuse services.
• Residents most frequently believe that large housing developments and renewable energy projects should require CBPs, while support for requiring them for industrial chemical plants or refineries is significantly higher in the Louisiana parishes than in the other two communities.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2023). Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/29131114/survey-community-benefits-report.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities. 2023. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/29131114/survey-community-benefits-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities |date=November 2023 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/29131114/survey-community-benefits-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2023community, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Community Benefits: A Survey of Perspectives from Three Communities}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/29131114/survey-community-benefits-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }