Guidebook for Designing and Managing Rights-of-Way for Carbon Sequestration and Biomass Generation (2015)

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43 The accompanying Right-of-Way Carbon Sequestration and Bioenergy Feedstock Feasibility Toolkit provides a DOT with a suite of decision support tools to systematically evaluate oppor- tunities for project implementation in a local context. The Feasibility Toolkit also includes tools to model a proposed project’s financial viability that the user can modify to develop a custom- ized analysis. The Feasibility Toolkit can be found with the CD accompanying this Guidebook (CD contents also available online at TRB.org). Each of the Toolkit components is discussed in brief below. Decision Tree The Toolkit includes a decision tree that provides an overview of the critical decision points likely to be encountered when conducting a project feasibility assessment. DOT Management Considerations Checklist The purpose of the “DOT Management Considerations Checklist” is to prompt the user to review the management issues identified in Chapter 1 in the context of his or her own DOT, to identify state-specific policies or practices as they relate to these issues, and to start to think about the conditions under which the agency would be willing to proceed with project implementation. Context Tool The purpose of the “Context Tool” is to support the user in the conduct of a context-sensitive site evaluation. The tool prompts the user to identify potential benefits and concerns associated with a set of environmental, economic, and community attributes at various stages of project development. The identification of potential benefits and concerns should be an outcome of engagement with relevant stakeholders. Carbon Checklist The purpose of the “Carbon Checklist” is to guide the user through each step of a feasibility assessment of a potential carbon sequestration project. The checklist prompts the user to complete certain tasks related to identifying applicable protocols or methodologies, selecting suitable sites, selecting among vegetation alternatives, and evaluating a project’s financial viability. C H A P T E R 4 Feasibility Toolkit

44 Guidebook for Designing and Managing Rights-of-Way for Carbon Sequestration and Biomass Generation Bioenergy Checklist The purpose of the “Bioenergy Checklist” is to guide the user through each step of a feasibility assessment of a potential bioenergy feedstock project. The checklist prompts the user to com- plete certain tasks related to identifying potential buyers, selecting suitable sites, selecting among feedstock crop alternatives, and evaluating a project’s financial viability. Financial Pro Forma Tools There are three pro forma tools included in the Feasibility Toolkit to help the user through the evaluation of potential project financial viability according to project type. The “Afforesta- tion & Soil Pro Forma” will guide the user through afforestation and soil carbon sequestration project types. The “Urban Forest Pro Forma” will guide the user through the urban forest carbon sequestration project types. Finally, the “Bioenergy Pro Forma” will guide the user through the bioenergy feedstock generation project types. All of these pro forma tools contain default values and can be modified by the user for site-specific analysis.