Environmental Justice

“No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” - Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

What is Environmental Justice?Environmental Justice is a concept that has been around for decades. Overall, the goal of environmental justice is to ensure that services and benefits are fairly distributed to all people, regardless of race, national origin, or income, and that they have access to meaningful participation.

What is meant by meaningful public involvement?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that “meaningful involvement” means that:

• Potentially affected community residents have an appropriate opportunity to participate in decisions about a proposed activity that will affect their environment and/or health;
• The public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision;
• The concerns of all participants involved will be considered in the decision-making process; and
• The decision-makers seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.

How does EJ relate to transportation?
In the past, the focus has been on the siting of facilities, such as landfills. Now, attention is being directed to the patterns of transportation investments. Specifically, looking at things like:

• How and where are transportation dollars being spent?
• Do projects (like a new transit system or road) negatively impact a disadvantaged community?
• What are the positive impacts of a project? How do these positive aspects compare to the negative (i.e. air pollution or noise)?
• Does a project benefit one group or community more than the other? Or, does it harm one group more than another?
• Who is at the table? Are low-income and minority communities participating in the decision-making process?

For example, some low-income and minority communities have higher concentrations of truck routes where noise, odors, dust and diesel emissions can impact the health and quality of life of a neighborhood.

Three Core Principles of Environmental Justice and Transportation
In the end, environmental justice is really seeking to ensure that everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, as well as equal access to the decision-making process. In order to do this, agencies work towards achieving these three core principles:

• Avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority and low-income populations.
• Ensure the full and fair participation in the transportation decision-making process by all potentially affected communities.
• Prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.

Learn more about Transportation Planning and Environmental Justice…

• What is the role of the MPO in incorporating Title VI/environmental justice into transportation planning?
• How does environmental justice improve transportation decision making?
• What are the regulatory foundations for Title VI/environmental justice?
  

Last Updated: 06/05/2009