[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28189-28191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10436]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2021-0056]


Request for Information on Transportation Equity Data

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed the Executive 
Order, ``Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government'' (Equity E.O.). Through the 
implementation of this Administration priority, the U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT or Department) will assess whether, and to what 
extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to 
opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved 
groups. These assessments will better equip the Department to develop 
policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to 
all. The Department solicits input from the public regarding available 
or potential data and assessment tools that could assist in the ongoing 
and continuous evaluation of Federal policies and programs concerning 
equitable services and safety in the transportation sector.

DATES: Comments are requested by June 24, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number above and 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
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: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see 
the Public Participation heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.
    Privacy Act: Except as provided below, all comments received into 
the docket will be made public in their entirety. The comments will be 
searchable by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You should not include information in 
your comment that you do not want to be made public. You may review 
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published 
on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street 
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the 
dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For policy issues, please email 
[email protected] or contact Maya Sarna at 202-366-5811. 
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday, 
except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through this Request for Information (RFI), 
the Department requests information on the data and assessment tools to 
measure transportation equity. Specifically, the Department seeks 
responses to the questions outlined below.
    On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 13985 
on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities 
Through the Federal Government (Equity E.O.).\1\ The Equity E.O. 
directs the Federal Government to pursue a comprehensive approach to 
advance equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity to 
strengthen communities that have been historically underserved, 
marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and 
inequality.
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    \1\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/.
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    The Department is entrusted with maintaining and improving our 
Nation's transportation system. Equitable and safe access to 
transportation is a civil right. Transportation touches every part of 
American lives and makes the American Dream possible, getting people 
and goods to where they need to be, directly and indirectly creating 
good-paying jobs and helping improve quality of life, especially after 
the COVID-19 pandemic. However, misguided policies and missed 
opportunities can reinforce racial, ethnic, geographic, and disability 
disparities, dividing or isolating neighborhoods and undermining the 
government's essential role of empowering Americans to thrive.
    The Department is committed to advancing equity, civil rights, 
racial justice, environmental justice, and equal opportunity and has 
the responsibility to ensure that all Americans have equitable access 
to safe, affordable, and sensible transportation options, no matter who 
they are or where they live. This means that all communities should 
have meaningful access to the Department's programs and activities.
    The Equity E.O. defines the following terms noted under (a) and (b) 
below and hence are used as definitions for purposes of this RFI:
    (a) The term ``equity'' means the consistent and systematic fair, 
just, and

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impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who 
belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, 
such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; 
members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live 
in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent 
poverty or inequality.
    (b) The term ``underserved communities'' refers to populations 
sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, 
that have been systematically denied the full opportunity to 
participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as 
exemplified by the list in the preceding definition of ``equity.''
    (c) Through this request, the Department seeks input, information, 
and recommendations in the field of transportation equity from 
stakeholders in public agencies, academic researchers involved in the 
study of equity in transportation decision-making, advocacy, and not-
for-profit institutions and individuals working in the transportation 
sector or the field of equity, and State, local, Tribal, and 
territorial areas.

Questions to the Public

    The Department seeks to gather information and identify valid and 
reliable aggregate data to help measure equity in order to improve 
Federal transportation programs. The following list of questions and 
topic areas are intended to guide the public in this effort:

Methods and Assessment Tools To Measure Equity

    (1) What are feasible methods for the Department to assess equity 
in transportation, including whether, and to what extent, Departmental 
programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and 
benefits for underserved communities?
    (2) How should the Department assess equity in Federal funding 
distributions? What data sources would be required for such assessment? 
Do such data sources exist currently? What new data would need to be 
collected, whether formula, discretionary, or other funding?
    (3) What assessment tools currently exist to analyze equity in 
transportation investments, policies, and programs? Can these tools be 
scaled to a national level? If so, please describe the nature and level 
of detail of the data and how the data are collected or retrieved. If 
possible, please discuss any privacy concerns or barriers for 
collection of these data.
    (4) What assessment tools and best practices currently exist to 
analyze equity in state and metropolitan transportation planning 
processes?
    (5) If the Department were to create transportation equity indices, 
that include important transportation and equity variables, what key 
indicators should they include? What is the suggested methodology and 
level of aggregation for this index? What is the appropriate geographic 
level? How could such measures be constructed to weigh the competing 
interests of different disadvantaged groups?
    (6) Housing affordability in the United States is measured in terms 
of percentage of income (i.e., the current threshold is 30 percent of 
income). Is there a similar threshold for ``transportation 
affordability'' currently in use by planning practitioners and planning 
agencies? What are some methods and strategies that the Department can 
use for determining and assessing the level of a transportation 
overburden cost standard?
    (7) How should the Department identify and measure the benefits and 
drawbacks (e.g., safety, wellbeing, and mobility benefits) of Federal 
transportation investments to underserved communities? How should the 
Department identify and measure the social cost of inequity in 
transportation projects or policies in underserved communities?
    (8) Transportation plays a critical role in how people access what 
they need (e.g., jobs, school, healthcare) and facilitates the movement 
of essential goods. What methodologies exist for measuring access to 
goods, services, education, recreation, and employment; well-being; and 
transportation reliability for people of color and other underserved 
groups? What are the limitations of the current measures or methods? 
What data is needed to overcome those limitations? How should the 
Department capture transportation's ability to contribute to 
opportunities that help improve equity for underserved communities or 
individuals?
    (9) What methodologies can be employed to determine how well the 
Department's programs comprised of engineering, enforcement, and 
education are affecting the safety and security of underserved people? 
What equitable planning methodologies can be employed by organizations 
with limited human and computing resources, especially in rural areas?
    (10) What data or data collection methods can be employed or 
augmented to better capture impacts of transportation on the safety and 
security of underserved populations, especially when people from 
underserved populations are walking or biking?
    (11) What assessment tools and practices are currently being used 
at any level of government that do not address equity or worsen 
disparities felt by underserved groups? What data are being used in a 
way that widens disparities in safety and access to transportation by 
traditionally underserved groups?
    (12) What are the experiences of other countries in measuring 
transportation equity? Please share the types and granularity of data 
collected, analysis methods, and policy applications.

Equity Data Considerations

    (13) How should the Department amend the transportation data it 
collects to meet equity analysis needs at the necessary spatial 
granularity (the geographic level of detail, i.e., national, state, 
local)? Since most of the Department's funding is not directed at 
individuals, what is the appropriate level of spatial granularity to 
accurately evaluate the impact of transportation investments on 
underserved communities?
    (14) What actions can the Department take with its data to make it 
more useful for equity research and analysis?
    (15) What data exist that track people in historically underserved 
groups over time (i.e., panel surveys) that may be useful to evaluating 
transportation equity? What metadata is useful in determining that a 
data collection effort is equitable (e.g., demographic profile of the 
researchers, method of questionnaire administration, language of 
questionnaire)? What methods or data would be useful in addressing non-
response bias in equity data collection?
    (16) Transportation plays a large role in localized pollution and 
negative environmental outcomes for those living near certain 
transportation routes and facilities. These negative environmental 
outcomes can have disproportionately high and adverse effects on 
underserved populations. How can the Department better analyze these 
effects, what are the data gaps, and what data sources can help address 
this problem? For example, what data are needed to measure the impact 
of vehicle electrification on the shift from mobile-source emissions to 
point-source (e.g., power plant) emissions on disadvantaged 
populations?
    (17) What data are required to model equity outcomes at the 
individual

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person level? How can the Department gather this information while 
protecting personal privacy?
    (18) What are approaches that DOT can take to ensure that 
individuals from underserved populations are represented in our data 
collection efforts?
    (19) How should the Department develop a data collection framework, 
gather new and existing data, set data standards, and analyze and 
aggregate it into useful information for policymaking?
    (20) How should the Department engage industry on gathering more 
detailed data on advanced safety features in vehicles for evaluating if 
technologies and their benefits are disproportionately distributed 
among different income and demographic groups and whether such 
technologies have equitable predictive performance to improve safety 
for all citizens?
    (21) How should the Department engage industry to increase the data 
available to understand electric vehicles and vehicle hybridization 
with the intent of understanding how these technologies can benefit 
different income and demographic groups; and to improve the 
distribution and fairness in the use of these technologies for all 
citizens?

Transportation Workforce Data

    The Department is seeking input on data and assessment tools and 
best practices that may be used to understand and to strengthen the 
pipeline for more minority, women, people of color, people with 
disabilities and other underserved populations to access opportunities, 
develop a robust network, and build a supportive environment that 
addresses their structural barriers to opportunities and wealth.
    (22) What high-quality career pathways programs or educational 
pipelines have state and local governments utilized or implemented to 
diversify their transportation workforce? What have the results been? 
How were the results of the programs measured?
    (23) What practices has the transportation industry taken to 
increase diversity and retain individuals from underserved populations 
within its workforce? How should the Department measure the overall 
impacts, especially the diversity impacts, on the workforce through 
Federal funding, policies, and programs?
    (24) What tools and best practices might the Department utilize to 
augment minority and disadvantaged business programs to create pathways 
for jobs in the transportation industry, and jobs of the future?
    (25) What type of data should we collect to measure the success of 
workforce programs? How do we assess if we are placing underserved 
populations in these job programs and into jobs; how do we track 
retention rates and opportunities for advancement; and how do we assess 
whether these are good-paying jobs?

Public Participation

How do I prepare and submit comments?

    To ensure that your comments are filed correctly, please include 
the docket number provided in (DOT-OST-2021-0056) in your comments.
    Please submit one copy (two copies if submitting by mail or hand 
delivery) of your comments, including any attachments, to the docket 
following the instructions given above under ADDRESSES. Please note, if 
you are submitting comments electronically as a PDF (Adobe) file, we 
ask that the documents submitted be scanned using an Optical Character 
Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the Agency to search and copy 
certain portions of your submissions.

How do I submit confidential business information?

    Any submissions containing Confidential Information must be 
delivered to DOT in the following manner:
     Submitted in a sealed envelope marked ``confidential 
treatment requested'';
     Document(s) or information that the submitter would like 
withheld from the public docket should be marked ``PROPIN'';
     Accompanied by an index listing the document(s) or 
information that the submitter would like the Departments to withhold. 
The index should include information such as numbers used to identify 
the relevant document(s) or information, document title and 
description, and relevant page numbers and/or section numbers within a 
document; and
     Submitted with a statement explaining the submitter's 
grounds for objecting to disclosing the information to the public.
    DOT will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the 
FOIA and not include them in the public docket. DOT also requests that 
submitters of Confidential Information include a non-confidential 
version (either redacted or summarized) of those confidential 
submissions in the public docket. If the submitter cannot provide a 
non-confidential version of its submission, DOT requests that the 
submitter post a notice in the docket stating that it has provided DOT 
with Confidential Information. Should a submitter fail to docket either 
a non-confidential version of its submission or to post a notice that 
Confidential Information has been provided, we will note the receipt of 
the submission on the docket, with the submitter's organization or name 
(to the degree permitted by law) and the date of submission.

Will the Agency consider late comments?

    DOT will consider all comments received before the close of 
business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To 
the extent practicable, the Agency will also consider comments received 
after that date.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

    You may read the comments received at the address given above under 
WRITTEN COMMENTS. The hours of the docket are indicated above in the 
same location. You may also see the comments on the internet, 
identified by the docket number at the heading of this notice, at 
http://www.regulations.gov.
    Please note, this RFI is a planning document and will serve as 
such. The RFI should not be construed as policy, a solicitation for 
applications, or an obligation on the part of the government.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2021.
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg,
Secretary, Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2021-10436 Filed 5-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P