Portland General Electric submits inaugural Community Benefits & Impacts Advisory Group Biennial Report

At the center of Portland General Electric’s Community Benefits & Impacts Advisory Group (CBIAG) is a commitment to inclusion, collaboration and trust. With input from the CBIAG, PGE recently submitted its first-ever Community Benefits & Impacts Advisory Group Biennial Report, which showcases how the group was established, what was accomplished in its first cycle and what future priorities will guide the CBIAG’s feedback as PGE continues working toward its clean energy transition.

“This report is about partnership,” said Jenn Latu, PGE’s manager of equitable engagement. “It shows what happens when utilities listen deeply and act with community, not for community.”

When Oregon’s House Bill 2021 became law, it required all Oregon investor-owned electric companies that file a clean energy plan to convene a Community Benefits & Impacts Advisory Group. The CBIAG serves as an advisory group representing the geographic diversity of PGE’s service area and the interests of environmental justice communities, which includes communities of color, tribal and rural communities and others historically underrepresented in public processes and disproportionately affected by environmental and health hazards. Since its launch in 2023, PGE’s CBIAG has provided valuable feedback and insights that have strengthened programs and resources, supported affordability initiatives and enhanced outreach and engagement efforts for customers and communities.

KEY LEARNINGS

Affordability and access:

Customer affordability was a central theme in CBIAG discussions, and member feedback led to improvements in PGE’s Income-Qualified Bill Discount program. Members encouraged more multilingual and culturally specific outreach, so support reaches customers most affected by high energy usage. Additionally, they provided opportunities for PGE to connect directly with communities they serve by opening their events and trusted spaces for outreach and information sharing about PGE customer programs and resources.

Infrastructure and resilience:

In CBIAG discussions on grid resiliency, members emphasized the importance of including environmental justice communities. Their feedback has been crucial in helping PGE define community benefits in renewable energy projects and how to apply those insights to future infrastructure upgrades, grid modernization and wildfire mitigation efforts.

Social and economic development:

Members encouraged PGE to expand grant opportunities, strengthen youth workforce development and education programs and increase partnerships with community-based organizations that understand local workforce needs. Their feedback reinforced the importance of developing accessible workforce resources and messaging, building stronger industry-wide talent pipelines and reducing barriers to future clean energy jobs through partnerships with community-based organizations.

Partnership, engagement and transparency:

Guided by CBIAG input and collaboration, PGE has deepened partnerships across its service area to better understand local priorities and how energy and utility decisions impact the lives, opportunities and resilience of the communities it serves. Members emphasized that equitable policy implementation depends on understanding community priorities such as affordability, reliability and clean energy. Their feedback has helped shape new outreach approaches to help make programs and investments more inclusive, relevant and responsive to customer and community needs.

“Participating in the CBIAG has been a truly valuable experience. I not only gain a deeper understanding of utilities and the broader system but also have the opportunity to offer authentic feedback and suggestions,” said Sabrina Wilson from The Rosewood Initiative. “I deeply appreciate how well-organized and intentional this space is, and the consistent feedback loops give me confidence that our voices are being heard and considered.”

Looking ahead

The submission of the inaugural report represents both a milestone and a starting point for PGE. The Community Engagement team at PGE is grateful for the CBIAG’s input and looks forward to building on this collaboration to advance Oregon’s clean energy goals so all communities can share in the benefits of a more inclusive and sustainable energy future.

Learn more about the Community Benefits & Impacts Advisory Group and read the full report at portlandgeneral.com/CBIAG.

About Portland General Electric

Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to over 950,000 customers serving an area of 1.9 million Oregonians. Since 1889, Portland General Electric (PGE) has been powering social progress, delivering safe, affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE customers have set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. PGE was ranked the No. 1 utility in the 2024 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index and is committed to reducing emissions from its retail power supply by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. In 2024, PGE employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated $5.5 million and volunteered nearly 23,000 hours to more than 480 nonprofit organizations. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news