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Environmental Justice

Recent Developments

Listed below are recent developments pertinent to environmental justice from the past six months.  If you would like to suggest a recent development on this topic, please submit a short description to AASHTO (including any pertinent links) on the Share Info with AASHTO form.

• AASHTO’s Center for Environmental Excellence to Hold Webinar on Data and Environmental Justice

  AASHTO’s Center for Environmental Excellence will hold a webinar on data and environmental justice analysis on Monday, Jan. 27 at 3PM ET. In this webinar, attendees will learn about AASHTO’s Census Transportation Planning Products Program (CTPP), a State DOT-funded, cooperative program that produces special tabulations of American Community Survey (ACS) data that have enhanced value for transportation planning, analysis, and strategic direction. In addition, presenters will discuss an upcoming equity module that is currently under development, and will present a case study on how the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is using an application it made for analysis. Registration and additional information can be found here.

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• Group Identifies Barriers, Strategies for Transportation and Health Equity

  A field scan of the current state of affairs regarding health equity in the national transportation system, along with recommendations for addressing the challenges, has been issued by Smart Growth America. The report identifies key barriers to creating a more healthy and equitable transportation system, one that would be focused on getting people where they need to go safely and affordably. The report also provides strategies in six critical areas. The group will host a webinar Jan. 23, 2020, to discuss the findings. For more information, link to The State of Transportation and Health Equity. (12-17-19)

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• EPA Issues 2019 Report on Environmental Justice Efforts

  The Environmental Protection Agency has issued its fiscal year 2019 progress report on achievements made to enhance environmental justice. The EPA’s efforts include providing approximately $50 million under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act grant program to applicants with a proven ability to reduce diesel emissions in communities facing environmental justice concerns. The agency also says it delivered $64.6 million in brownfields grants to 149 communities to assess, clean up, and reuse contaminated properties, and deleted all or part of 27 sites from the Superfund National Priorities List. The report also catalogs various training and outreach efforts. These include reaching more than 4,000 people from government agencies in all 50 states with online training on how to integrate environmental justice into state programs, training approximately 12,350 community residents, and conducting approximately 300 workshops and community forum activities. For more information, link to the report. (11-20-19)

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• Dec. 4 AASHTO Webinar: Environmental Justice Analysis Strategies at the 2019 AMPO Annual Conference

  AASHTO’s Center for Environmental Excellence, in collaboration with FHWA and AMPO, recently held a peer exchange on Environmental Justice Analysis Strategies at the 2019 AMPO Annual Conference. The session provided an opportunity for participants from state DOTs and MPOs to discuss challenges associated with environmental justice analyses; including inter-agency collaboration, training, technical assistance, and capacity building needs. This webinar will feature highlights and updates from the session from FHWA, AMPO, and AASHTO, as well as presentations from a state DOT and MPO on their peer exchange takeaways and EJ efforts. For more information, link here. (11-20-19)

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• Group Issues Report on Equity and Smart Mobility

  A new report addresses the need for greater social equity in connection with newer “smart mobility” options, such as expanded transit, transportation network companies including Uber and Lyft, and car and bike sharing. The report from the Center for Neighborhood Technology discusses how mobility links people to employment, goods and services, health care, education, social activities, recreation, and cultural activities, but that access to these transportation options in the U.S. is not always equitable. The report says that communities of color, especially those of limited means, struggle to get reliable and affordable transportation, and that smart mobility may be maintaining, or even increasing, existing inequities. The report is based on national data and local insights. For more information, link to the report. (9-13-19)

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• Social Equity the Focus of GIS in Transportation Newsletter

  Using geographic information systems (GIS) to map environmental justice populations and examine social equity impacts is the topic of the August issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s GIS in Transportation newsletter. The newsletter includes articles about a mapping tool developed by the USDOT’s Volpe Center, the use of data and methods for identifying protected populations, and equity analysis as part of a transportation improvement program, from the perspective of a metropolitan planning organization. The newsletter also highlights news and events relevant to the GIS community. For more information, link to the newsletter. (8-14-19)

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• Environmental Justice CoP Survey: Webinar and Materials Available

  The results of a survey of state transportation agencies’ environmental justice training needs were outlined in an AASHTO webinar held July 8, 2019. The survey focused on the frequency of trainings, information, resource gaps, emerging and innovative issues, and members' familiarity with existing resources. For more information, link to the webinar and presentation. (7-17-19)

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• Northeast, Mid-Atlantic States Hold Equity Workshop

  A workshop on advancing equity and opportunities for communities was held on May 15, 2019, by the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states that participate in the Transportation & Climate Initiative. States discussed regional policy issues and a cap-and-invest approach to reducing emissions from transportation. Presentations also highlighted economic and health disparities in areas that face pollution and that are underserved by transportation systems. For more information and a workshop recording, link here. (6-4-19)

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• Climate Group Developing an Equitable Adaptation Toolkit

  The Georgetown Climate Center has announced work on developing a toolkit to help public agencies and policymakers build social and economic equity into climate resilience planning. The Equitable Adaptation Toolkit will feature best practices and substantive policy solutions for achieving equitable outcomes through city resilience initiatives to provide examples that communities and community-based organizations can use. It also will provide case study examples of planning initiatives, legal, and policy solutions that have been advanced through community planning, and best practice examples. The toolkit is due for release in 2020. For more information, link to the announcement. (4-1-19)

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• EPA Launches Environmental Justice Training for States

  The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a national environmental justice training program. The program consists of five training webinars, which will be accessible through a publicly available website, aimed at building capacity in the states to integrate environmental justice into decision making and develop environmental justice knowledge and expertise. Planned topics include identifying and prioritizing environmentally impacted and vulnerable communities, enhancing community involvement in the regulatory process, using an area-wide planning approach to promote equitable development, and applying EJ to state environmental impact assessments. In addition, the EPA Regions will conduct training for their respective states. For more information, link to the announcement. (3-15-19)

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• FHWA Issues Two EJ State of the Practice Reports

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued two new reviews of the state of the practice concerning environmental justice in highway programs. Environmental Justice Analysis in Transportation Planning and Programming: State of the Practice describes how state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations are considering and addressing environmental justice concerns, based on a review of all 52 DOTs and a sample of 100 MPOs. The report addresses commonly applied techniques and new EJ approaches, including identifying and engaging with EJ populations; understanding the needs of EJ populations; assessing the benefits and costs of proposed plans; determining disproportionately high and adverse effects on EJ populations; and strategies to address such effects. Addressing Changing Demographics in Environmental Justice Analysis: State of the Practice documents how MPOs and DOTs are adapting EJ analysis to understand communities undergoing rapid demographic change. The report discusses trends in the size and location of low-income and minority households. The report also highlights strategies for addressing changing demographics in EJ analysis and provides five case studies. (3-21-19)

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• Study Describes Use of Zoning, Land Use Policies for Environmental Justice

  A report from the Tishman Environment and Design Center describes ways communities are using local zoning and land-use policies to address environmental justice concerns. The report, Local Policies for Environmental Justice: A National Scan, compiles 40 policies from across the U.S. Types of policies include bans on specific types of facilities, incorporation of environmental justice goals into municipal activities, and application of environmental review processes to new or expanded developments. Other policy types include proactive planning targeted at future development, targeted land use measures that address sources of pollution, and enhanced public health codes. For more information, link to the report. (2-21-19)

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• Webinar Outlines Process for Title VI Complaints

  An overview of the process for filing complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act was provided in a webinar hosted by the Federal Highway Administration. The webinar covered laws, regulations, and guidance; information on filing and processing of complaints; and investigation processes and outcomes. For more information, link to the webinar and related resources. (2-5-19)

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