Environmental Justice Analysis
Local governments should prepare an "environmental justice analysis" when they propose capital expenditures that trigger and environmental impact statement that affect part of the community. State and local governments investments in infrastructure often create attractive facilities that may increase property values in adjacent areas, such as bridges and roads, bike-ways and bus systems, parks and schools. Other investments (some highways, sewage treatment facilities, landfills, and so on) may distract from adjacent neighborhoods.
The federal government requires that infrastructure investments using federal funds be evaluated in terms of their impacts (favorable and unfavorable) on neighborhoods.
Such an evaluation should be required for all infrastructure investment that trigger environmental impact statements, whether they involve federal funds or not.
| Program | Develop a model environment justice analysis procedure and use it to evaluate local government infrastructure investment impacts, ensuring that neighborhoods are treated equitably. |
|---|---|
| Customers | Area units of local government (school boards, city councils, township boards, and the Olmsted County Board). |
| Responsible Parties | Rochester Olmsted Planning Department and the Rochester Olmsted Council of Governments, with participation by community resources and environmental advisory board. |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Infrastructure investment show balance impacts across the community. |
