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Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice Principles in Transportation Planning

EJ Principles
Environmental Justice (EJ) in transportation planning means identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse effects of the agency's programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations to achieve an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens.
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Principles of EJ include:
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  • To avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations.
  • To ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process.
  • To prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority populations and low-income populations.
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MMMPO Environmental Justice Block Group 

EJ Block Group
EJ Block Group Analysis is a system level evaluation on the relations between proposed projects and environmental justice populations. It documents the special relations of proposed projects and EJ Block Groups and the level of planned transportation investment in the area’s EJ and non-EJ neighborhoods. Both positive and negative impact of an investment are considered.  
 
EJ Block Group: a census block group with a population that has either:  
  • A higher percentage of households in poverty than the county average of 24.0 percent.
  • A higher percentage of minority residents than the county average of 9.2 percent.
 
Non-EJ Block Group: a census block group with a population that has both:
  • The same or a lower percentage of households in poverty than the county average of 24.0 percent.
  • The same or a lower percentage of minority residents than the county average of 9.2 percent.
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2016 Environmental Justice Block Group Map
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The MMMPO is in the process of updating the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. A project level EJ analysis report will be available in 2017. The report will include all Tier-1 projects proposed in the Plan.
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Environmental Justice Policy and Reference

EJ Laws
Executive Order 12898 (1994)
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Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898 (2011)
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Memorandum on Guidance on Environmental Justice and NEPA (2011)
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Title VI Requirements in Metropolitan and Statewide Planning
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More information on environmental justice guidance and Title VI legislation >>
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EJCREEN Online Interactive Map

EJ Map
EJCREEN is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. It provides a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators. The use of EJCREEN in metropolitan transportation plans is recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.
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More information on EJSCREEN on EPA website

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Environmental Justice Complaints

EJ Compliants
Any person who believes that he or she has been subjected to discrimination under environmental justice and has questions or concerns on environmental justice issues. Please contact us and/or fill out the form below:   
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