The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Energy Democracy Initiative (REDI) is a technical assistance and capacity building program intended to help communities meaningfully engage in the design and implementation of community benefits associated with DOE funded projects in Texas and Louisiana in the U.S. Gulf South region.

The regional consortium will be comprised of an institution of higher education (preferably a Minority Serving Institution (MSI)), non-profit organizations, labor organizations, legal services, and philanthropic groups working together to support the implementation of CBPs, in Texas and Louisiana.

Through regional consortia, REDI will:

• Provide expertise, training, and technical resources to community-based organizations,
• Coordinate a regional benefits strategy (see Q and A for definition) with local stakeholders to inform overall community benefits and commitments, in partnership with regional communities.
• Track DOE investments, and associated community benefit commitments across the Gulf South region, as well as monitor implementation progress of the Regional Benefits Strategy
• Connect communities with external resources to further advance community priorities.  

The Department of Energy has committed a total of $5 million to support REDI in its initial year. This investment is intended to support consortium partner(s). One consortium will be selected to perform the tasks described for the Gulf South region. Funding for this initiative was made possible by contributions from DOE’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, and the Grid Deployment Office.  

The Regional Energy Democracy Initiative is intended to help communities better plan and more meaningfully engage in the development of community benefits and commitments associated with DOE funded projects, to ultimately support an energy future that is reflective of community voice and solutions.   

In the Gulf South, DOE has made billions of dollars in investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These investments in grid improvements; capping of orphan and marginal wells; carbon capture, storage, and transport; and clean hydrogen, wind, and solar energies aim to transform regional energy infrastructure to improve energy resilience, decarbonize vital industries, and make way for a clean energy transition. Each of these investments required a community benefits plan at application that described how each project will engage collaboratively with host communities and labor, how they will lead to good, family-sustaining jobs, create opportunities for all Americans equitably, and create enduring benefits to disadvantaged communities.

Community benefits plans provide a vital and timely opportunity to address these inequalities to reduce energy burdens, remediate pollution, build resilience, and clean energy businesses, jobs, and training programs for disadvantaged communities.

To best serve disadvantaged communities and the federal investments, it’s vital to coordinate and synergize community benefits plans in the region. Through its regional consortia, REDI will: 

• Coordinate training programs that are accessible to disadvantaged communities and not duplicative of each other. 
• Ensure that communities are prepared to engage in the development and implementation of community benefits and aware of the opportunities they present. 
• Ensure that communities have access to legal support and services as they seek to build community benefits and labor agreements. 
• Ensure that community priorities for cleanup, investment, and resilience are met.  

For projects in the region, the work of REDI will help them to: 

• Connect with informed communities.
• Identify how to best align project goals with community priorities.
• Learn best practices from other community benefits plans and projects.
• Streamline engagement across the Department of Energy offices and funded projects.  
• Attract additional capital from philanthropic sources to supplement and extend benefits that are beyond the scope of any one project.  

REDI will help draw together communities and projects, maximizing and interconnecting community benefits plans to improve the wellbeing, environments, opportunities, and resilience of communities that are vital to the U.S. economy and the global success of a clean energy transition.  

How to Participate

1. Review the resources from the Objective Strategic Session (OSS) webinar on June 6th, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET under Webinar Resources‍
2. Review the resources from the iOffice Hours (OH) Q&A Webinar under Webinar Resources‍
   1. July 18th, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET: COMPLETED‍
   2. July 24th, 2024 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET: COMPLETED‍
3. Download the Capabilities Overview Template: Click Here to Download‍‍
4. Complete submission and upload here: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT July 31st, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET)

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