CBA Decision-Making Rubric

The Project Assessment Tool has been developed to expand the existing Steelhead Risk Scorecard and include additional inputs, allowing for a deeper project-level evaluation. These inputs include project capacity, permitting body,  geographic information, and demographic factors. Together, the risk scorecard and these additional inputs provide a decision-making aid that allows the development team to determine a project’s CBA-value and the level of commitment appropriate for a project community. 

*While there are clear federal definitions for population density in urban settings of over 2,500 people per square mile, rural population density is often simply described as regions that do not meet the definition of urban. The Health Resources and Services Administration defines rural areas as having at least 400 square miles in area with a population density of 35 or fewer people per square mile and no nearby population from an urban area. Based on 2020 Census data, 20.3% of the population (62.8 million people) and 87.4% of the country's land area is rural. The population density ranges used in this scorecard were chosen by reviewing the population densities in rural counties across the United States, identifying common breakdowns within the rural segment of 0-35 people per square mile, and making a judgment about how to delineate ultra-rural areas (0-5.9 persons per square mile) vs. other bands.

** The poverty threshold or limit is defined as the minimum income deemed adequate to survive while meeting basic needs, calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for the average adult. According to US Census data, 11.1% of people nationally are living below this threshold. This was chosen as the lower limit for our middle band of poverty in the Economics section of the scorecard. Persistent poverty is defined as regions having poverty rates above 20% over a sustained period, of which there are 341 counties that meet this definition as of 2024. This was selected as the lower limit of our highest band of poverty.

The Matrix provides a nimble visual aid that the development team can use to evaluate project community dynamics in conjunction with the Project Assessment Tool. The Matrix will help determine if a CBA is appropriate and what commitments will best address community needs. 

After completing a thorough community listening process, the CBA Committee will evaluate potential commitments to present as recommendations to the Lead Developer, the Public Engagement team, and legal counsel. The CBA Committee will consider a number of factors, including a commitment’s purpose, implementation plan, timeline for implementation, potential for meaningful impact, and budget, and provide each potential commitment with an evaluation score between 0 and 15. High scores represent commitments with the potential to deliver more meaningful benefits.