Environmental Justice (EJ)
Planning for Everyone
SJTPO is guided by federal Environmental Justice (EJ) mandates.
Specific to transportation planning, EJ mandates ensure that all federally funded transportation-related processes, programs, and plans consider the potential to cause adverse effects, particularly for communities of color and populations with lower incomes.
SJTPO is committed to addressing EJ concerns and identifies how SJTPO strives to meet mandates in the EJ Report.
Environmental Justice as a Public Policy
In 1994, Executive Order 12898, EJ was created to identify and address the effects of all programs or activities of Federal aid recipients, sub-recipients, and contractors.
As a public policy, the goal of EJ is to ensure that any adverse human health or environmental effects of government activities do not disproportionately affect communities of color or populations with lower incomes.
EJ does not intend to provide preferential treatment to these populations but rather fair treatment to all populations.
Environmental Justice at SJTPO
Transportation planning must be done with the involvement, and for the benefit, of all residents in South Jersey. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region, SJTPO is required to develop a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Both planning products, in coordination with the EJ Report, must address EJ concerns and do so through the following actions:
- Identify communities of color and populations with lower incomes so their needs can be identified and addressed, and the benefits, and the burdens of transportation investments can be fairly distributed throughout the planning area.
- Enhance existing analysis processes to ensure the RTP and TIP comply with Title VI of Civil Rights requirements.
- Evaluate the existing public involvement processes and make improvements, as needed, to include communities of color and populations with lower incomes in the decision-making process.
Demographics of SJTPO Region
Demographic data for the SJTPO four-county region comes from the decennial United States Census and the American Community Survey (ACS). The region is home to approximately 589,000 residents, which accounts for roughly 6.38 percent of the state’s population. As EJ analyses focus on residents in poverty, Hispanic populations, and racial minorities, the following table summarizes the individual EJ Characteristics.
Users of mobile devices: the table below scrolls horizontally so you can view all columns.
| Populations | US Totals | NJ Totals | SJTPO Region Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 329,725,481 100.00% |
9,234,024 100.00% |
589,026 100.00% |
| Hispanic & Non-Hispanic Pop. | 329,725,481 100.00% |
9,234,024 100.00% |
589,026 100.00% |
| Total Hispanic or Latino | 60,806,969 18.44% |
1,924,503 20.84% |
116,782 19.83% |
| Total Non-Hispanic or Latino | 268,918,512 81.56% |
7,309,521 79.16% |
472,244 80.17% |
| Hispanic & Race Populations | 329,725,481 100.00% |
9,234,024 100.00% |
589,026 100.00% |
| White – Non-Hispanic | 196,010,370 59.45% |
4,966,842 53.79% |
349,333 59.31% |
| People of Color | 133,715,111 40.55% |
4,267,182 46.21% |
239,693 40.69% |
| Race Minority – Hispanic | 32,028,230 9.71% |
1,103,472 11.95% |
67,265 11.42% |
| Race Minority Non-Hispanic | 72,908,142 22.11% |
2,342,679 25.37% |
122,911 20.87% |
| White-Hispanic | 28,778,739 8.73% |
821,031 8.89% |
49,517 8.40% |
| Race Populations | 329,725,481 100.00% |
9,234,024 100.00% |
589,026 100.00% |
| White | 224,789,109 68.17% |
5,787,873 62.68% |
398,850 67.71% |
| Race Minorities | 104,936,372 31.83% |
3,446,151 37.32% |
190,176 32.29% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,722,661 0.83% |
24,719 0.27% |
2,754 0.47% |
| Asian | 18,782,924 5.70% |
900,516 9.75% |
25,068 4.26% |
| Black-African American | 41,393,012 12.55% |
1,225,321 13.27% |
81,498 13.84% |
| Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander | 615,557 0.19% |
3,303 0.04% |
206 0.03% |
| Some Other Race | 18,382,796 5.57% |
675,022 7.31% |
40,537 6.88% |
| Two or More Races | 23,039,422 6.99% |
617,270 6.68% |
40,113 6.81% |
| Residents Poverty Status for which poverty status is known | 321,897,703 100.00% |
9,058,493 100.00% |
568,065 100.00% |
| At or Above Poverty Level | 227,856,548 70.80% |
7,055,727 77.90% |
394,091 69.40% |
| Below Poverty Level | 94,041,155 29.20% |
2,002,766 22.10% |
173,974 30.60% |
In short, the Non-Hispanic Minority population percentage for the region (20.87 percent) is less compared to the state (25.37 percent) and national level (22.11 percent). The region’s Hispanic or Latino population percentage is less (19.83 percent) than the state (20.84 percent) but greater than the national level (18.44 percent). The percentage of individuals of Two or More Races deviates significantly from the state and national percentages. The region has a lower percentage of Asian residents (4.26 percent) compared to the state (9.75 percent) and the national level (5.70 percent). The SJTPO region has a higher percentage of Black or African American residents (13.84 percent) than the state (13.27 percent) or the national level (12.55 percent). Two minority categories (Two or More Races and Some Other Race) saw percentage increases on the national, state, and SJTPO levels.
Engagement with Environmental Justice Communities
As established in the Public Involvement Plan (PIP), it is imperative for SJTPO to involve all residents, particularly underserved populations in the community, in the transportation planning process. In terms of strategies to serve the traditionally underserved population, SJTPO:
- Aims to target outreach events in ADA-accessible facilities and transit-friendly locations;
- Holds meetings at convenient times to maximize engagement opportunities
- Tailors messaging and communication methods to try to maximize access to information; and
- Provides timely and reasonable access to information, including 30-day minimum public comment periods for planning documents and hard copy and electronic versions of planning documents.
Further, SJTPO maintains and regularly updates its outreach contact list, including agencies, civic groups, and other organizations that actively engage with communities of color and lower-income populations. SJTPO regularly corresponds with all entities on the list when public comment opportunities and other regional planning news are available. When relevant to the project or activity, SJTPO distributes press releases to and places advertisements in newspapers serving communities of color and non-English speaking populations. SJTPO is conscious of the limited number of newspapers in the SJTPO region that serve these populations and actively explores other free publications and media outlets that communities of color and low-income populations may access.
Conclusion of Environmental Justice within the Region
The SJTPO region has a high percentage of residents who have been historically underserved, and who face more challenges than the broader public. Thus, it is important that SJTPO continue to recognize and be sensitive to those challenges while carrying out its processes, programs, and plans. In general, the distribution of TIP funds in the region is unbiased with respect to communities that have historically been underserved, which indicates the funds are fairly allocated with respect to EJ Areas. With this said, SJTPO will continue to work to monitor and improve conditions in EJ communities throughout the region.
Current
- 2023 Environmental Justice Report (Adopted 11/27/2023)
- 2023 EJ Report Executive Summary (English)
- 2023 EJ Report Executive Summary (Spanish)