Greater New Orleans (GNO) Infrastructure Projects

Public Involvement

What is Environmental Justice?

Environmental justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people—regardless of race, color, national origin, culture, education, or income—in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group should bear a disproportionate share of negative consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations, or the execution of Federal, State, local, and tribal environmental programs and policies.

Meaningful involvement means that:

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

Environmental Justice in Alternative Arrangements

Projects that may affect the environment are legally required to undergo review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Part of the required review includes assessing the environmental justice of the project in accordance with Executive Order 12898. Addressing environmental justice during NEPA review primarily involves reaching out to minority and low-income populations via effective public involvement processes. FEMA will incorporate environmental justice into all NEPA project reviews under the “Alternative Arrangements” section. The basic elements addressed in environmental justice reviews are:

Step 1: Identify Minority and Low-Income Populations

FEMA will use U.S. Census data available at the census block group level and block data to identify minority and low-income residents within the project area and geographic information system (GIS) mapping tools to depict the locations of minority and low-income populations within the study area.

Step 2: Assess Impacts and Benefits to Minority and Low-Income Populations

FEMA will assess the effects of the project alternatives on minority and low-income populations and identify whether these populations will suffer disproportionately high, adverse effects. The analysis will determine whether the impacts are appreciably more severe or greater in magnitude than impacts on non-minority and higher-income populations.

Step 3: Identify Public Involvement Processes to Engage Minority and Low-Income Populations and Record Feedback Given

FEMA will document the public involvement process asking for input on the project alternative(s) from identified minority and low-income populations, along with any feedback they provide.

Step 4: Prepare Analysis of Potential Disproportionately High and Adverse Effects

FEMA will assess any attempts to avoid and minimize disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority and low-income populations, documenting any mitigation strategies used.

In addition to reviewing the socioeconomic data, FEMA will also assess the effect on minority and low-income persons from land acquisition and displacement, air quality concerns, noise and vibration issues, water resource issues, construction impacts, cumulative impacts, locations of cultural resources and parklands, and transit issues.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 12-Sep-2007 11:57:34 EDT