2020年清潔能源的公正、公平和可持續發展報告 - Ceres（英文版）.pdf

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1、PRACTICES FOR JUST, EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CLEAN ENERGY December 2020 Practices for Just, Equitable and Sustainable Development of Clean Energy Resources ABOUT CERES Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build

2、leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. Through powerful networks and advocacy, Ceres tackles the worlds biggest sustainability challenges, including climate change, water scarcity and pollution, deforestation and inequitable workplaces. For more information, visit www.ceres.org. Lead

3、 Author The Rev. Kirsten Snow Spalding, Senior Program Director, Ceres Investor Network Chief Executive Officer and President, Ceres, Mindy Lubber We would like to express our deep appreciation for our colleagues at Ceres who provided very useful assistance with this project, including Dan Bakal, Ju

4、stin Bakule, Rob Berridge, Maura Conron, Alli Gold Roberts, Barbara Grady, Heather Green, Billy Gridley, Morgan LaManna, Mary Ann Ormond, Colgan Powell, Sara Sciammacco, Dan Seligman, Dan Saccardi, Anthony Toppi and Winston Vaughn. Project Contributors Ceres would like to thank the following people

5、for contributing their valuable time and thoughtful feedback to this project and informing our recommendations. The views expressed in this paper are Ceres alone and do not necessarily reflect those of these contributors. Vonda Brunstig, Program Manager, Initiative for Responsible Investment, Hauser

6、 Institute for Civil Society at Harvard University Christina Cobourn Herman, Program Director for Climate 2/ protection and efficient use of environmental resources; 3/ responsible contractingcreating and maintaining high-quality jobs; 4/ meaningful local economic benefits, including employment oppo

7、rtunities for local workers; and 5/ compliance and monitoring to ensure long term transparency for all project partners and stakeholders. 1/ Engage Stakeholders Permitting authorities, utilities, private power purchasers, project developers, construction companies and in- vestors can ensure that pro

8、jects have robust stakeholder engagement processes that result in environmental, workforce and community concerns being addressed at every stage in the clean energy development process. Stakeholder engagement is a critical piece of any successful clean energy project and one that needs to happen ear

9、ly in the development of a project. Ignoring this step risks leading to misconceptions on the part of the local community and government and a lack of understanding of key concerns on the part of the developer, energy buyer and investor. Missteps early on can hurt the reputation and trustworthiness

10、of the players involved in the project and threaten the viability not just of a specific project, but of other projects in a community or even a state. By engaging stakeholders from the beginning to analyze the risks and and understand community concerns, the backers of a project can create buy-in,

11、cement the projects social license to operate and can work together with the community, regulators and policy makers to hammer out a project that benefits everyone. This stakeholder engagement is especially key as the scale and pace of the transition increases, impacting communities through a transi

12、tion away from conventional energy jobs and massive build-outs of wind and solar farms. Depending on the project, stakeholder engagement would include the local environmental community, local residents, workers and their union representatives, advocates of community economic development and land- ow

13、ners. Discussions during these engagements would touch on topics such as how transparent the developer is on sharing project plans, outcomes and the companys track record on other similar projects; what steps the company has taken to maximize community benefits in the past, and what the companys tra

14、ck record with respect to employment of local workers has been. Clean energy developers also face opposition from stakeholders that could be championslocal workers and labor union members who become frustrated by the failure of some in the industry to prioritize the hiring and development of a highl

15、y skilled local workforce that would deliver local economic benefits often promised as part of renewable energy investments. Resolving these issues will require the input of regulators, policymakers and developers. And it will require oversight by buyers and investors. 7 / Practices for Just, Equita

16、ble and Sustainable Development of Clean Energy Resources ceres.org Lessons Learned Minnesota, a long-time leader in renewable energy poli- cy and deployment, provides a lesson in how stakeholder engagement can go from contentious to productive. In 2017, the state began seeing a backlash because of

17、the use of out-of-state or low-wage temporary workers by some developers. In response, the Minnesotas Building Trades, which represent 70,000 union construction work- ers, announced its opposition to future energy projects that largely exclude locals or put workers at risk due to unsafe or unfair em

18、ployment practices. The dispute came to a head in 2018 when a coalition of construction unions and clean energy advocates, including the incoming Democratic leadership of Minnesotas House of Representatives, asked the states Public Utilities Commission not to approve a proposed 150 MW wind project,

19、citing the developers past use of out-of-state workforce. The subsequent hearings were apparently a surprise not just to the developer, but also to the wind projects anonymous customera leading technology company. Yet, they also created an opportu- nity for dialogue, analysis and policymaking that r

20、eset the playing field. Minnesotas Public Utilities Commission now requires developers to file quarterly reports on the use of local and non-local workforce to build large wind and solar projects. The data shows wide variation in local labor content, ranging from 12 to 68%, for projects built in the

21、 same part of the state during a relatively brief span of time. Reports filed with the commission also help to dispel the myth that the use of non-local labor was the result of low area unemployment rates or skill gaps. A 2019 report by Local Jobs North, a labor-backed cam- paign to boost use of loc

22、al workforces, found that the local share of the wind energy construction workforce jumped from less than 20% to well over 50% within a year, an increase attributable in part to the commissions new local hire reporting requirement. The report esti- mated that use of a majority-local workforce could

23、boost the local economic benefit of wind energy construction payrolls by $62 million-a 54% increase compared to the previous reliance on a largely non-local workforce. The results show how local hiring can be driven by contrac- tors workforce strategies, including partnerships with local unions and

24、apprenticeship programs, rather than underlying labor market conditions. Lessons Lost Michigan union workers have been among the clean energy industrys strongest champions in the states Upper Peninsula, where wind energy development has become highly controversial. But union members in February 2020

25、 picketed construction of a large wind farm that will supply power to Michigans largest utility, DTE. The projects developer had solicited the support of a local union during the approval process, including holding a promotional event at a union training cen- ter. When it was time to start pouring f

26、oundations and putting up wind turbines, the developer brought in a general contractor that relied heavily on out-of-state workforce, according to the union. One union representative explained his members sense of betrayal to a local television station: “We came out and we spoke on behalf of the win

27、d farm. Told them it was going to be a good thing, employ local people and they agreed with us. And said they were going to hire local union guys to this project.” 8 / Practices for Just, Equitable and Sustainable Development of Clean Energy Resources ceres.org 2/ Protect and Efficiently Use environ

28、mental Resources The benefits of clean energy infrastructure go far beyond lowering greenhouse house gas emissions; the clean energy transition delivers cleaner air and helps end the destructive impacts that extracting and consuming fossil fuels have on our land and natural habitats, as well as our

29、rivers, lakes and oceans. But the construction and operation of utility-scale clean energy facilities can also negatively impact species, soil, water and other environmental resources. With biodiversity already under threat from rapid urbanization and the growing nationwide water crisis, the build-o

30、ut of these solar and wind farms and transmission lines needed to achieve a net-zero world risks putting even more pressure on critical land and habitats and clean water. Wind and solar generation requires at least 10 times as much land per unit of power produced compared to coal-or natural gas-fire

31、d power plants (including land disturbed during the production and transportation of fossil fuels), according to the Brookings Institute. To achieve deep carbonization by 2050, the footprint of the U.S. wind and solar energy could be as big as 76 million acres, estimates The Nature Conservancy. Sust

32、ainable development of clean energy on a large scale will require careful attention to siting, engineering, construction and maintenance to avoid environmental damage and opposition to projects that could lead to project delays and higher costs. A growing number of environmental groups are focusing

33、on how solar energy facilities are being sited, especially in prime farmland or critical habitat and forests, and are pushing for localities and states to take into account the cumulative impact of clean energy projects. In 2019, Maryland regulators denied permits for two solar projects that would h

34、ave cleared 400 acres of woodlands, citing concerns about water quality. A commitment to best practices can help to minimize environmental impacts while gaining public support for rapid build-out of needed infrastructure. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for example, has published a best-practice m

35、anual for the siting, construction and operation of land-based wind energy facilities. In some cases, it can be as simple as ensuring that engineering and construction functions are managed by responsible firms that understand the local environment and employ a skilled workforce. Energy purchasers a

36、nd investors can disincentivize development of projects in critical habitats or prime farmland by integrating criteria for land and habitat citing and management into their procurement or financing agreements, helping reduce business risks including project delays and increased costs while advancing

37、 their energy, climate and conservation goals. As part of rethinking of strategic rethinking of what makes a “best project,” tech company Salesforce created a renewable energy procure- ment matrix that is uses to score the renewable energy procurement proj- ects it works with based on economic, soci

38、al and environmental criteria. Each of which is weighted according to Salesforces own prioritization to reflect the tradeoffs being made between them. Projects are then scored across each criteria, based on their Request for Proposal (RFP) responses. Engaging with the community early, often and tran

39、sparently, including local authorities, citizens, landowners, businesses and non-governmental organizations, is essential and pays dividends. A nationwide survey published in 2019 by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of people living near wind turbines found that positive attitudes correlate

40、d to community members feeling that they were fairly involved in the planning process and were being compensated for the project. 9 / Practices for Just, Equitable and Sustainable Development of Clean Energy Resources ceres.org Lessons Learned Cummins, a fortune 500 company headquartered in Indiana,

41、 worked with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nature Conservancy to ensure that the proj- ect they procured energy from posed minimal risk to wildlife. The company worked with the project developer to ensure that special care be taken not to destroy or interfere with the natural habitat of the

42、 local bat and bird populations. As part of its plan to increase the use of renewable energy company wide by 2020, the company, which manufacturers heavy equipment, worked with the project developer to ensure that special care be taken not to destroy or interfere with the natural habitat of the loca

43、l bat and bird populations. Cummins wanted to be sure that minimal undeveloped land would be disturbed by that the project and would have minimal impact on sensitive habitats. The partnership with EDF and the Nature Conservancy stemmed from the analysis the Cummins team under- took to minimize the i

44、mpact the project would have on land and water usages and on wildlife. Lessons Lost Much attention has been paid to the impact of wind energy installations on bat and bird species, but clean energy projects have also come under scrutiny for other types of impacts. Stormwater management and water ret

45、ention, for example, have become such significant issues for Minnesota solar energy projects that the states Depart- ment of Commerce, which conducts environmental review for large energy facilities, issued comments in a solar permitting case in January 2020 stating that “Numerous other solar projec

46、t sites have experienced major construction issues due to stormwater runoff, water retention in farmed wetlands, and wet soils. These conditions resulted in construction delays and temporary site degradation, including trenches filled with water, rutting, road mud, erosion, as well as long- term wet

47、land impacts and increased costs.” A high-profile incident occurred in 2018 when a community solar garden in Scandia, Minnesota was the source of a stormwater breach that dumped about “100 tons of sediment” into a tributary of the St. Croix River, according to a local watershed director. 10 / Practi

48、ces for Just, Equitable and Sustainable Development of Clean Energy Resources ceres.org 3/ Adopt Responsible Contracting Policies Ensuring that clean energy projects are built safely and well, using industry best practices and in compliance with applicable laws and rules, is built on the use of resp

49、onsible contractor policies. These policies create a framework for embedding key just practices in a project, providing guidance so that the clean energy transition delivers on its promise of good jobs and economic opportunity for local workers and communities. Addressing job creation, job quality and workforce training in the procurement process can build community support for renewables projects and reduce the risks of project delays and disruptions. These pol