[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 189 (Thursday, September 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60590-60593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-25123]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket FTA-2011-0055]


Environmental Justice; Proposed Circular

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed circular and request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the 
docket and on its Web site, proposed guidance in the form of a Circular 
on incorporating environmental justice principles into plans, projects, 
and activities that receive funding from FTA. This proposed guidance 
provides recommendations to State Departments of Transportation, 
Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public transportation providers, 
and other recipients of FTA funds on how to fully engage environmental 
justice populations in the public transportation decisionmaking 
process; how to determine whether environmental justice populations 
would be subjected to disproportionately high and adverse human health 
or environmental effects as a result of a transportation plan, project, 
or activity; and how to avoid, minimize, or mitigate these effects. By 
this notice, FTA invites public comment on this proposed Circular.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by December 2, 2011. Late-filed 
comments will be considered to the extent practicable.
    Public Meetings: FTA and PolicyLink will co-sponsor a series of 
Information Sessions regarding FTA's proposed Environmental Justice 
Circular and proposed revisions to the Title VI Circular (see docket 
FTA-2011-0054 for more information on the proposed revisions to the 
Title VI Circular). The meetings listed below will provide a forum for 
FTA staff to make oral presentations about the two proposed Circulars 
and allow attendees an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. 
Additionally, the sessions are intended to encourage interested parties 
and stakeholders to submit their comments directly to the official 
docket per the instructions found in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice.
    These Information Sessions will take place as follows: Kansas City, 
MO on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 from 6-9 p.m.; Boston, MA on Tuesday, 
November 1, 2011 from 6-9 p.m.; Detroit, MI on Wednesday, November 9, 
2011 from 6-9 p.m.; the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday, November 14, 
2011 from 6-9 p.m.; and Atlanta, GA on Thursday, November 17, 2011 from 
6-9 p.m.. All locations will be ADA- and transit-accessible.
    For details about the exact location of each Information Session 
(i.e., site name and address), please visit http://www.fta.dot.gov/FTAInformationSessions.
    In consideration of the comfort and safety of all attendees and the 
maximum seating capacity of meeting rooms, FTA requests RSVPs for the 
Information Sessions. To RSVP, please visit http://www.FTAInformationSessions.com. At the same Web link, persons with 
disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to DOT Docket ID Number FTA-2011-
0055 by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: You must include the agency name (Federal Transit 
Administration) and Docket number (FTA-2011-0055) for this notice at 
the beginning of your comments. You should submit two copies of your 
comments if you submit them by mail. If you wish to receive 
confirmation that FTA received your comments, you must include a self-
addressed stamped postcard. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change

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to http://www.regulations.gov including any personal information 
provided and will be available to Internet users. You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement published in the Federal Register on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477). Docket: For access to the docket to read 
background documents and comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Docket Operations, M-30, 
West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590 between 
9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For program questions, Amber 
Ontiveros, Office of Civil Rights, Federal Transit Administration, 1200 
New Jersey Ave., SE., Room E54-422, Washington, DC 20590, phone: (202) 
366-4018, fax: (202) 366-3809, or e-mail, [email protected]. For 
legal questions, Bonnie Graves, Office of Chief Counsel, same address, 
room E56-306, phone: (202) 366-4011, or e-mail, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis
    A. Chapter I--Environmental Justice and Public Transportation
    B. Chapter II--Tools and Techniques for Conducting an 
Environmental Justice Analysis
    C. Chapter III--Achieving Meaningful Public Engagement With 
Environmental Justice Populations
    D. Chapter IV--Integrating Principles of Environmental Justice 
in Transportation Planning and Service Delivery
    E. Chapter V--Incorporating Environmental Justice Principles 
Into the NEPA Process
    F. Chapter VI--Understanding the Differences and Similarities 
Between Title VI and Environmental Justice
    G. Appendix
III. Conclusion

I. Introduction

    Executive Order 12898, ``Federal Actions to Address Environmental 
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations,'' was 
signed by President Clinton on February 11, 1994. Subsequent to 
issuance of the Executive Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT) issued an Order for implementing the Executive Order on 
environmental justice (EJ). The DOT Order (Order 5610.2, ``Order to 
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations,'' 62 FR 18377, Apr. 15, 1997) describes the process the 
Department and its modal administrations (including FTA) will use to 
incorporate EJ principles into programs, policies and activities; the 
DOT Order does not provide guidance for FTA grantees on what is 
expected regarding integrating EJ principles into the public 
transportation decisionmaking process. FTA has not previously published 
separate and distinct guidance for its grantees, but instead has 
included environmental justice concepts in its Title VI Circular 
(Circular 4702.1A).
    Several instances of Title VI and EJ issues raised by FTA grantees 
led FTA to initiate a comprehensive management review of the agency's 
core guidance to grantees in these and other areas of civil rights 
responsibilities for public transportation. Based on that review, FTA 
determined a need to clarify and distinguish what grantees should do to 
comply with Title VI regulations; and, separately, what grantees should 
do to facilitate FTA's implementation of Executive Order 12898.
    Therefore, FTA is proposing a new Circular 4703.1, ``Environmental 
Justice Policy Guidance for Federal Transit Administration 
Recipients,'' in order to provide grantees with a distinct framework to 
assist them as they integrate principles of environmental justice into 
their public transportation decisionmaking processes, from planning 
through project development, operation and maintenance. The Circular 
does not contain any new requirements, policies or directives. In 
addition to the EJ Circular, FTA has also published, in this issue of 
the Federal Register, a notice of availability and request for comment 
for proposed revisions to FTA's Title VI Circular (Docket number FTA-
2011-0054). The Title VI Circular removes most references to 
environmental justice in order to clarify the statutory and regulatory 
requirements for compliance with Title VI. FTA expects that the 
additional clarification provided by both documents will provide 
grantees the guidance they need to properly incorporate both Title VI 
and environmental justice into their public transportation 
decisionmaking. FTA encourages commenters to review both notices and 
provide comments on both documents.
    This notice provides a summary of the proposed Circular. The 
Circular itself is not included in this notice; an electronic version 
may be found on FTA's Web site, at http://www.fta.dot.gov, and in the 
docket at http://www.regulations.gov. Paper copies of the Circular may 
be obtained by contacting FTA's Administrative Services Help Desk, at 
(202) 366-4865. FTA seeks comment on the proposed Circular.

II. Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

A. Chapter I--Environmental Justice and Public Transportation

    Chapter I of the proposed Circular is an introductory chapter. It 
provides a brief background of the Executive Order and describes the 
purpose of the Circular. Importantly, this chapter also states what 
this Circular is not--the Circular does not contain any new 
requirements, policies or directions. This chapter contains the 
principles of environmental justice as derived from the U.S. DOT's 
Order on environmental justice, and describes broadly when an EJ 
analysis will be conducted and the elements of that analysis. Some 
terms necessary to explain the EJ analysis are defined; for ease of 
reference, FTA has defined ``minority populations and/or low-income 
populations'' as ``EJ populations.'' The chapter ends with a summary of 
what will be discussed in subsequent chapters.

B. Chapter II--Tools and Techniques for Conducting an Environmental 
Justice Analysis

    This chapter is designed to provide tools to assist grantees as 
they conduct environmental justice analyses of their plans, programs, 
projects and activities. The chapter begins with an overview of a 
proposed framework for conducting an EJ analysis. As described in the 
framework, there are three steps for conducting an EJ analysis: (1) 
Determine whether there are any EJ populations potentially impacted by 
the activity; (2) if one or more EJ populations are present, consider 
the potential effects of the activity on the EJ populations; and (3) 
determine if any disproportionately high and adverse human health and 
environmental effects can be avoided, minimized or mitigated.
    After describing the basic framework, the chapter then discusses in 
more detail some of the elements of the analysis. First are thresholds: 
when is an EJ population present? The Council on Environmental Quality 
(CEQ) issued guidance to Federal agencies on environmental justice 
under environmental laws (``Environmental Justice, Guidance under the 
National Environmental Policy Act,'' Dec. 10, 1997) that suggested 
thresholds for minority populations; FTA proposes adapting this 
guidance to apply to both minority populations and low-income 
populations for consistency, and to apply these thresholds to all EJ 
analyses.

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FTA seeks comment on the recommended thresholds.
    Next is proposed guidance on preparing a residential demographic 
profile. This section provides information on data sources, including 
how grantees can use available data. This section also discusses how to 
determine the geographic area for analysis, which will depend on the 
planning area or the impact area of the project. The next section, 
benefits and burdens analysis, describes how an analysis will need to 
be scaled depending on the level of planning (e.g., Statewide, 
regional, corridor-level, etc.) or the size of the project or activity. 
This section provides suggestions on the types of metrics to use when 
evaluating the benefits and burdens of public transportation projects 
and activities. This section also clarifies that when a plan or project 
will serve a predominantly minority area, it is still necessary to 
analyze the effects on low-income populations, since minority 
populations and low-income populations do not necessarily overlap. 
Finally, this chapter proposes a list of factors to consider when 
determining whether disproportionately high and adverse human health or 
environmental impacts exist.

C. Chapter III--Achieving Meaningful Public Engagement With 
Environmental Justice Populations

    Chapter III proposes recommended strategies and techniques for 
ensuring that EJ populations are not just at the public transportation 
decisionmaking table, but have a voice in the decisionmaking process. 
This chapter first suggests identifying the members of a community, as 
doing so will assist grantees in developing successful communications 
and outreach strategies. Building relationships with community-based 
organizations, environmental justice networks, and others can assist 
grantees in developing these strategies. Traditional public outreach 
typically involves public hearings required by Federal, State or local 
law for certain transportation decisions. This chapter proposes 
recommendations on making this process more inclusive and user-
friendly, including consideration of location, timing, format and 
accessibility.
    This chapter also describes non-traditional outreach strategies 
that may result in greater participation by EJ populations. Some of 
these proposed strategies include informal group meetings, traditional 
and non-traditional media, as well as digital media. Additional 
strategies to increase involvement of EJ populations include direct 
mail campaigns, community-led events, partnerships with community-based 
organizations and leaders, citizen advisory committees, and public 
engagement teams. This chapter recognizes that public engagement is not 
a one-size-fits-all approach. A grantee should scale its public 
engagement efforts to the impacts of the plan, project or activity, as 
well as to the resources available to the grantee; most importantly, 
the grantee will determine, based on a number of factors, which public 
engagement strategies will likely be effective at engaging the local EJ 
populations. FTA seeks comment on whether there are additional non-
traditional outreach strategies that should be included in this 
guidance.

D. Chapter IV--Integrating Principles of Environmental Justice in 
Transportation Planning and Service Delivery

    This chapter proposes guidance on incorporating EJ principles into 
Statewide, metropolitan and local planning processes. Many of the 
strategies described in this chapter apply not only to the required 
Statewide and metropolitan planning processes, but also to planning 
activities undertaken by transit providers and other local entities 
with public transportation planning and service-delivery 
responsibilities. This chapter builds on the residential demographic 
profile described in Chapter II and describes specific planning tools 
for developing these profiles. The chapter briefly outlines the 
Statewide and metropolitan planning public engagement requirements in 
the joint FHWA/FTA planning regulations, and proposes strategies to 
achieve public participation in planning activities. Each plan, whether 
Statewide, metropolitan, or local, should encompass the goals and 
visions for future transportation for a region or area. This chapter 
explains why it is important to develop those goals and visions with 
input from EJ populations.
    Since public transportation providers and other local entities 
often engage in some level of planning, this chapter addresses those 
planning activities, such as planning for service reductions or 
restructuring. This chapter provides some sample questions to guide the 
discussion with the public to inform planning officials on how well 
current operation, management, and maintenance of facilities and 
services serve the needs of communities, with particular attention to 
the parity between EJ and non-EJ populations. This chapter recommends 
that public transportation providers and planning officials maintain a 
regular and open dialogue with EJ populations regarding the 
effectiveness of the plan, and to identify trends in public 
transportation for future plans.

E. Chapter V--Incorporating Environmental Justice Principles Into the 
NEPA Process

    This chapter provides grantees with a road map for incorporating 
environmental justice analysis into the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) process. Federal agencies are required to consider the 
effects of Federally-funded projects on the environment; if FTA 
determines there is a disproportionately high and adverse human health 
or environmental effect on an EJ population, the EJ analysis will be 
part of the NEPA document. This chapter describes how a grantee can 
incorporate EJ principles into its analysis of the environmental 
impacts of a proposed project by defining the project impact area, 
identifying alternatives, identifying adverse environmental effects, 
identifying project benefits, and identifying mitigation measures and 
enhancements. Finally, this chapter provides guidance related to 
projects that qualify as categorical exclusions and information related 
to NEPA-specific public engagement strategies.

F. Chapter VI--Understanding the Differences and Similarities Between 
Title VI and Environmental Justice

    As stated previously, FTA has observed that the public, grantees, 
and FTA staff have sometimes considered environmental justice and Title 
VI to be interchangeable--they are not. This chapter outlines the 
source of environmental justice--Executive Order 12898--and the source 
of Title VI--the Civil Rights Act of 1964--and then describes, in table 
format, the key differences between the two. This chapter cautions 
recipients that an EJ analysis will not satisfy Title VI requirements, 
and a Title VI analysis likely will not satisfy EJ, since Title VI does 
not include low-income populations. Finally, this chapter includes an 
example of a project and describes the type of analyses required for 
that project.

G. Appendix--Definitions, Authorities and References

    The appendix includes a comprehensive list of definitions, most of 
which are in either the DOT Order on environmental justice or the FHWA/
FTA planning regulations, and included in this document for ease of 
reference. A list of authorities from which this

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guidance is derived is also included. This list is not meant to be 
exhaustive, but does include the authorities relevant to the 
consideration of EJ principles in the transportation context. Last is a 
list of references, including Federal Register notice and other 
citations as appropriate to enable readers to view the source 
documents.

III. Conclusion

    Included in the proposed Circular in a few places are examples, 
such as the example in Chapter II regarding defining the area of 
analysis for a plan or project, and the example in Chapter VI regarding 
differences between an EJ analysis and a Title VI analysis. FTA seeks 
comment on whether more examples would be helpful, and if so, what 
types of examples would provide the most clarity for grantees.

    Issued in Washington, DC this 26th day of September 2011.
Peter M. Rogoff,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-25123 Filed 9-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P