Browse the links below to find resources demonstrating possible solutions and opportunities for successful environmental permitting, stakeholder engagement, and benefit sharing during infrastructure project design and development.
Some of the topics we are covering include community benefits agreements, environmental permitting reform, technology for stakeholder engagement and participatory project design, and grant funding and investments for improved project design, permitting and monitoring.
Check back regularly for updated insights on the leading topics for successful stakeholder engagement, environmental assessment, and monitoring to improve the outcomes of infrastructure design and development.
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When 500 NGOs and companies come together expressing support for agricultural easements, it may be time to listen: one view on the benefit of flexible agricultural easements for renewable energy development. Read more…
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“Department of Energy is offering up to $8.2 million for stakeholder teams to explore the viability of agrivoltaic systems for cattle grazing.” Read more…
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Phase 2 of the NIETC designation process is underway: DOE announces 10 regional transmission corridors and invites public input. On the line: streamlined siting authority and access to $2 billion in direct loans through the Transmission Facility Financing Program. Read more…
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Maintain social license to operate, increase the capacity of your workforce, and access $250 billion in low cost DOE funding: Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) share benefits with project stakeholders while benefiting the project and developer. Read more…
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The CEQ’s Phase 2 NEPA reforms revert back to 1978 regulations, emphasize that the “alternatives section is the heart of the environmental impact statement,” and introduce new uncertainty for the permitting process. Read more…
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Wind farms, manufacturing and real estate development: the link between them is not what you think. The Berkley Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment reviews Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) across multiple sectors. Read more…
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PennFuture publishes 100-page guide to local land use decision-making in Pennsylvania. Topics include: state and local land use laws, how public hearings and decision-making works, and tips for accessing and sharing information. Read more…
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One way to increase the efficiency of the NEPA process is to avoid Environmental Assessments: BLM adopts existing categorical exclusions from the US Forest Service and Dept. of the Navy to expedite geothermal energy permitting. Read more…
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Breaking: “Treating the public as ‘stakeholders’ rather than inconveniences” reduces risk during the permitting process. It may also help developers pass due diligence to secure project development insurance. Read more…
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Four years after its establishment, New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) is averaging eight months to approve large-scale solar and wind projects. Can it do the same for transmission lines? Read more…
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One permit to govern them all! The Massachusetts Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting releases recommendations ranging from consolidation of state and local permitting for clean energy projects, to mandatory consultation and engagement requirements. Read more…
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EPA’s new permitting transparency website explains the environmental permitting process, provides references to interactive environmental mapping and monitoring tools, and lists the permitting status of 16 FAST-41 projects. Read more…
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Can basic geographic information help avoid environmental and social impacts and speed up planning and permitting for broadband infrastructure projects? The NTIA thinks so, and launches a new permitting and environmental information app. Read more…
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Overcoming siting, leasing, and permitting obstacles through coordination, consultation, and stakeholder engagement. A detailed review by the Niskanen Center suggests multiple possibilities to improve infrastructure deployment. Read more…
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As the US Department of Energy prepares the second half of a $2.5 billion fund to support transmission line projects, a look back on the DOE’s attempts to address the “chicken and egg problem” under the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP). Read more…
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A poll finds the majority of US coastal county residents support offshore wind development, though concern for wildlife remains. Read more…
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A programmatic EIS assesses alternative management measures to improve the siting and permitting for utility-scale solar power. Will BLM’s updated approach to the Western Solar Plan achieve the intended results? Read more…
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Can participatory decision support information systems and multi-criteria decision-making facilitate successful offshore wind development? New research shows how interactive site selection could help balance competing interests. Read more…
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“Which types of projects are uniquely positioned to address national interests, as opposed to state or regionally assessed interests?” The release of DOE’s final guidance on the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) raises questions and prompts a request for information. Read more…
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Can a proposed community benefit sharing guideline help renewable project developers achieve social license to operate? The Government of New South Wales is considering its options. Read more…
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How much actual community-level investment is occurring as a result of clean energy projects facilitated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)? Preliminary data from the Clean Investment Monitor indicate that investment in designated energy, disadvantaged, and low income communities is above the national average. Read more…
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The Sabin Center provides 35 recommendations to improve Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) based on a corresponding database of ~50 CBAs across a variety of infrastructure types and sectors. Read more…
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A small requirement with a big impact? How can Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) address opposition and share benefits of infrastructure projects? Read more…
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What component of stakeholder engagement matters most: level of communication, power, or representation? A meta-analysis of 305 cases of public environmental decision-making finds that the delegation of power to public stakeholders has the greatest effect. Read more…
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Can software-as-a-service (SaaS) help project developers avoid environmental and social impacts, reduce cost, and increase the efficiency of the siting and permitting process? Two software companies catering to renewable developers think so. Read more…
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Interim guidance would require NEPA reviews to quantify GHG emissions, place GHG emissions in appropriate context, and disclose relevant climate impacts. Read more…
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The challenge and opportunity of requiring community benefit sharing agreements in the infrastructure permitting process. The role of State Attorneys General in the process. Read more…
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Problem solved, if money is the solution. A story about the Biden Administration’s efforts to speed up permitting reviews. Read more…
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As easy as 1, 2, FAST-41! Can a new agency coordinate the permitting process better than the other 13 agencies it represents? Read more…
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Just ‘The Facts’ on the $350 million expansion of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. Read more…
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Resources for the Future reviews 45 utility-scale solar projects and identifies opportunities to improve the environmental permitting process: increase the use of EAs within Solar Energy Zones (SEZs). Read more…
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GAO report offers back to basics recommendations for infrastructure environmental reviews: maintain the schedule and assess the risks! Read more…
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The merits of programmatic environmental impact statements for solar development: the Playa, Dry Lake, and Harry Allen solar projects’ environmental assessments were completed according to schedule. Read more…
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DOE releases draft guidelines for a Consent-Based Siting Process. Will increasing local control of siting process help DOE find willing hosts for nuclear waste storage facilities? Read more…
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Does the ‘least-cost path’ really lead to the best outcome in transmission line routing? We’re due for an update. Read more…
More on Infrastructure Permitting and Engagement Opportunities
Optinfra covers a range of demonstrated solutions across leading sites for journalism, research, and advocacy. We’re tracking opportunities related to community benefits agreements required by the Inflation Reduction Act, to permitting reform, and software tools that facilitate participatory design, permitting, and monitoring.
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