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Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice. Laura Hilden Director, Environmental Services Division May 25, 2017. Environmental Justice.

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Environmental Justice

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  1. Environmental Justice Laura Hilden Director, Environmental Services Division May 25, 2017

  2. Environmental Justice Executive Order 12898 requires that federal agencies avoid causing disproportionately high and adverse environmental or health effects on minority or low-income populations through federal programs, policies, and activities Analysis required if: • 2 or more relocations, or • 0.5 acre of additional ROW, or • Environmental Assessment / Environmental Impact Statement http://www.in.gov/idem/

  3. Three Elements of Environmental Justice • Avoid or mitigate disproportionately high negative effects on low-income or minority populations or communities • Ensure full & fair public involvement of these communities in the transportation planning process • Prevent denial, reduction, or delay in receipt of benefits of transportation projects by these communities

  4. Impact Analysis • Is there an Environmental Justice population? • Identify Community of Comparison (COC) and Affected Community(AC) • Automatically considered an elevated EJ population if the AC is greater than 50% or if the AC is greater than 1.25*COC • Are the impacts adverse? • Are the impacts disproportionate?

  5. Analysis • Access data from the U.S. Census Bureau • Perform calculations for demographic analysis • Interpret demographic analysis • Disproportionate and negative impacts? Procedures on preparing an EJ Analysis is available at the following link: http://www.in.gov/indot/2523.htm U.S. Census Bureau website: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

  6. Interpretation • What if the AC is greater than 50% or if the AC is greater than 1.25*COC? • What’s next? • What do I need to do? Questions to ask: • Will the project have negative impacts that will outweigh the positive impacts to the EJ population? • Will the project benefit the EJ population?

  7. Key Information Identifying an EJ concern may require a project to be evaluated at an EA level or higher & requires coordination with FHWA, so: • Early identification of concern is critical • Good information is critical • U.S. Census Data • Site visits, community observation & surveys • Data from state & local social & community services agencies • Data collection & analysis consistent with size of project & impacted community • Additional public involvement opportunities

  8. Environmental Justice Examples • SR 23 Added Travel Lanes, South Bend, IN • Added Travel Lanes, Worthsville Road, Johnson County • I-69 Section 6 • Louisville Southern Indiana Ohio Rivers Bridges

  9. SR 23 South Bend 1 • Was an EJ analysis required? • Were there EJ populations? • Were impacts on EJ populations negative? • Were impacts on EJ populations disproportionate? • Located just south of Notre Dame • Low Income and Minority • Project would resolve unsafe and poorly functioning 5-legged intersection • Community resources included elementary school and community center on opposite sides of project

  10. SR 23 South Bend 1 Block Group 3, Census Tract 11 Block Group 1, Census Tract 10 No relocations EJ Block Group 4, Census Tract 10 6 res/4 comm/1 church Not EJ 2 res. Not EJ pop. 2 res. EJ pop. 38 res. EJ pop. 11 res/3 comm EJ No relocations Not EJ Block Group 3, Census Tract 10 3 Res., 1 Com EJ pop. SR 23 Added Travel Lanes, South Bend, IN

  11. SR 23 South Bend • Public Involvement –Special Meetings • Local support • Community redevelopment groups • City of South Bend • HUD project-based public housing

  12. SR 23 South Bend Preferred Alternative

  13. SR 23 South Bend Preferred Alternative • Relocations : • 35 occupied homes • 10 abandoned or vacant homes. • One business – BBQ Restaurant • 10.5 Acres Right of Way • 4 acres of right-of-way for an urban trail • 0.3 acres of wetlands impacted • 0.1 acres of forests impacted • No adverse effect on historic properties

  14. SR 23 South Bend SR 23 Added Travel Lanes EJ • Determination • There are negative impacts to the low income and minority population. However, the benefits of the project outweigh the negative impacts to the EJ population.

  15. Worthsville Road • Road reconstruction and added travel lanes in southern Greenwood. • East-west connector • 28 relocations • Detected one low income AC and one minority AC in separate Census tracts.

  16. Worthsville Road • Project benefits • Access • Safety • Drainage • Pedestrian connectivity. • Relocations are concentrated in mobile home park

  17. Worthsville Road • Elevated project to Environmental Assessment • Project is still in development 6101

  18. I-69 Section 6 EJ Analysis • Upgrade of SR 37 to interstate from SR 39 in Martinsville to I-465. • Selection of Communities of Comparison—sensitivity analysis • South • Central • North • Selection of Affected Communities • Much of Martinsville • Waverly area • I465 at US 31 • Sunshine Gardens

  19. I-69 Section 6 EJ Analysis • Detected many elevated low-income ACs in north and south COCs • Detected a few elevated minority in north and south ACs • Relocations in Martinsville LI AC • Mobile home communities • Apartments • Services

  20. I-69 Section 6 EJ Analysis

  21. I-69 Section 6 EJ Analysis • Public outreach • Benefits and burdens: • Relocations and impacts are distributed throughout the project area • Mitigation • Pedestrian crossing • Relocation assistance • Will not be finalized until the FEIS/ROD

  22. Ohio River Bridges • Additional crossing to create one-way pair of interstate bridges • Reconstruction of I-65/I-64/I-71 interchange • Tolling • Impacts • Construction andpost-construction • Tolling

  23. Ohio River Bridges Demographics • 916 block groups in LMA, • 136 were in an alternative’s corridor • 47 met poverty criteria • 36 met minority criteria • 9 EJ focus areas identified • Improved access and travel time • Neutral on cost of living, visual, air pollution, and economic effects. • Negative on cohesion for one alternative • Variable for noise

  24. Ohio River Bridges • Public meetings • Public Survey • Study Groups • TAZ modeling showed user cost savings for EJ and non-EJ origin trips.

  25. Ohio River Bridges • Frequent traveler discounts • I-64 and US 31 bridges are free. • Wide retail availability of transponders that access lower toll • $30 million funding for capital improvements for TARC • Post-construction monitoring

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