Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-vpsfw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T22:38:23.326Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Environmental Justice Analysis: How Has It Been Implemented in Draft Environmental Impact Statements?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2006

Linda Rose
Affiliation:
Cooperative Studies Program, Hines VA Hospital, Hines, Illinois
Natalie A. Davila
Affiliation:
Illinois Department of Revenue, Chicago, Illinois
Kelly A. Tzoumis
Affiliation:
Public Policy Studies Program, De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois
Daniel J. Doenges
Affiliation:
Wilbur Smith Associates, Lisle, Illinois
Get access

Abstract

Since Executive Order 12898 in 1994, environmental justice analyses are required in the draft environmental impact statements (DEISs) prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act. Of a total of 2,062 DEISs produced from 1994 to 2001, approximately 994 documents had some form of environmental justice analysis. These 994 DEISs were evaluated to determine the methodology utilized in the analyses. Most analyses are conducted by the United States Navy, Department of Energy, Federal Highway Administration, and Army Corps of Engineers. Only about half (49.3%) of the analyses focused on low income as the sole variable. Most documents (93%) concluded that there was no impact to environmental justice communities. Results show that the analyses included some level of empirical information in only about half of the analyses (49.3%). A small percentage (4.4%) of analyses relied upon a qualitative history. Less than half (46.3%) of the analyses merely stated that there was no impact and did not contain substantial qualitative or empirical information. Thus, the findings suggest that there is a potential for environmental justice concerns to be overlooked due to deficient methodology by the DEIS preparers and the large number of DEISs claiming that there is no impact to communities. For instance, a little more than half (57.2%) of the analyses did not include a geographical unit, necessary to the identification of environmental justice communities. Recommendations are made for practitioners and policy makers to rely more on geospatial tools like geographical information systems and to build more sophisticated methods for environmental justice analyses, including statistical analyses using empirical data.

Type
FEATURES & REVIEWS
Copyright
© 2005 National Association of Environmental Professionals

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Clinton, W. 1994a. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. Federal Register 59, no. 32 (February 11, 1994). Also available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/ej/exec_order_12898.pdf.Google Scholar
Clinton, W. 1994b. Memorandum for the Heads of All Departments and Agencies. Washington, DC (February 11, 1994), http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/ej/clinton_memo_12898.pdf. Accessed August 4, 2005.
Council on Environmental Quality. 1997. Environmental Justice Guidance under the National Environmental Policy Act. Washington, DC, 40 pp.
Rubin, D., N. Davila, S. Khan, and K. Tzoumis. 2002. Defining Environmental Justice Communities: EPA Region Five's Approach. Projections: The MIT Journal of Planning 3(1):172189.Google Scholar
Tzoumis, K. 2001. Environmental Policymaking in Congress: Issue Definitions in Wetlands, Great Lakes and Wildlife Policies. Taylor and Francis, New York.
US Bureau of Census. 2005. Current Population Reports, Series P-60 on Income and Poverty. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/poverty.html. Accessed August 4, 2005.
US Congress. 1969. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (PL 91-190, 1 January 1970), 42 United States Code, 4321–4347.
US Congress. 1970. Clean Air Act, 42 United States Code, 7609.
US Environmental Protection Agency. 1996. Environmental Justice Implementation Plan. EPA-300-R-96-004. Washington, DC, 25 pp. Also available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/ej/implementation_plan_ej_1996.pdf.
US Environmental Protection Agency. 1998. Final Guidance for Consideration of Environmental Justice in Clear Air Act 309 Review Offices of Federal Activities. 68-WE-0026. Washington, DC, 76 pp. Also available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/ej/ej_guidance_nepa_epa0498.pdf.