ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

The following information reflects the performance of the 2010 CLRP.

A federal requirement of the long-range transportation planning process is to assess the potential impacts of the 2010 CLRP on minority and transportation disadvantaged population groups in the metropolitan Washington region. The analysis in this section is intended to supplement the general performance analysis for the 2010 CLRP by analyzing particular demographic characteristics and impacts.  

The legal basis for this requirement comes from Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which states that “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.”  In 1994, President Clinton expanded this provision when he signed executive order 12989, “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations.” The order states that federal agencies must identify and address “disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, of their programs, policies and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.”

As a Metropolitan Planning Organization that receives federal funds for its long-range transportation planning activities, the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is responsible for implementing title VI and conforming to federal environmental justice regulations.  With these requirements in mind, this section supplements the performance analysis of the 2010 CLRP by analyzing the demographic characteristics of the region, and assessing impacts of the CLRP on specific population groups. 

The environmental justice analysis is designed to answer the following questions:

  • What is the size of minority and disadvantaged population groups in the Washington region?
  • How are these population groups geographically dispersed throughout the region?
  • How do the minority and disadvantaged population groups get to work?
  • Where do these groups live relative to transit facilities?
  • What are the benefits and burdens of the long-range transportation plan?
  • How are the benefits and burdens distributed across minority and disadvantaged population groups?

In order to answer these questions, this section includes the following:

Limitations of the Analysis

The methodology of the current analysis is limited by the available tools and data.  The U.S. Census has changed its survey methodology in recent years, making data collection and comparison over time more challenging.  Past iterations of the decennial U.S. Census have included ‘long form’ survey data collected from 1 in 6 U.S. households which included information describing income, linguistic characteristics, disability status, and travel characteristics.  However, this data has been eliminated from the decennial Census methodology and has been replaced with yearly updates of the American Community Survey (ACS), also published by the U.S. Census Bureau.  The sample size of the Census ‘long form’ data was large enough so that reasonable estimates could be made at small levels of geography, including Census Tracts.  In order to make assumptions about the geographic distribution of the populations of interest, this small scale geography is needed.  Unfortunately, since the ACS uses a much larger sample size, estimates cannot be made at these smaller levels of geography on a yearly basis.  To remedy this, the Census department has compiled 5-year rolling aggregates of the American Community Survey data which allows estimates to be made at the census tract level of geography.  The latest available data for the Washington region at this level is the 2005-2009 5-year ACS aggregates. This means that certain pieces of data included in this analysis are reported as the aggregate average over this 5 year period. 

In addition, the American Community survey made changes to the disability questions on its survey questionnaire in 2008.  This means that 2005-2009 5-year aggregates are impossible to calculate for this population group due data continuity issues.  The latest disabilities data available at the Census tract level of geography comes from the U.S. Census 2000.  Though this data is over 10 years old, it was the only dataset available that could be used to illustrate the geographic distribution of persons with disabilities in the region.  Regional Level data on disability status was available from the 2009 ACS, which was used for select disability measurements at the regional level. 

It should also be noted that the U.S. Census provides imperfect data on minorities and disability status.  Minority racial groups tend to be undercounted relative to the general population.  This means that Census data may underestimate the relative size of minority groups in the Washington region.  The number of individuals with disabilities may also be underestimated, because the Census relies on self-reports of disability status and some individuals may be reluctant to identify themselves as disabled. 

Furthermore, the prevalence and location of minority and disadvantaged groups in the year 2040 is not known.  It is likely that changes in land-use, housing prices, and migration patterns will alter the demographic profile of the region over the next 30 years.  Since is it impossible to predict where these changes will happen, the current geographic distributions are assumed to remain constant through 2040. 

To measure benefits and burdens of the long-range plan, the current analysis considered easily quantifiable aspects of regional transportation system, such as the location of major highways and transit routes.  The analysis did not consider more qualitative aspects of the system.  Qualitative features such as those listed below can make the transportation system more or less accessible to minority, low-income, and disabled individuals:

  • Safety and comfort
  • Reliability
  • Availability of off-peak service
  • Features that address the specific needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities
  • Availability of information and ease of use
  • Language barriers
  • ADA accessibility of transit stops

The current analysis does not consider accessibility by non-motorized forms of transportation, such as walking and biking, and does not consider non-transportation-related benefits and burdens of the long-range plan, such as air, water, or noise pollution.  These kinds of analyses would require data and analytical tools that are unavailable.