Statement of Planned Activities
Future activities of the committee are based on identified needs. Over the last four years, the Task Force, its members, friends and liaisons have focused on research in five areas, described below. As a Committee, work would continue to build on the past successes in these five areas. The committee also would take up a sixth research area focusing on implementation. Finally, the committee would endeavor to promote cross-cutting activities.
Research Area 1: Research on distribution of harmful human health or environmental effects of transportation programs, policies and activities
Ongoing Research: FHWA is sponsoring a critical review and synthesis of research related to the public health effects of the emission of air toxics from transportation sources. Research under this $300k statement of work focused on mobile source emissions including hazardous air pollutants (HAP, also known as air toxics), fine particulate matter, re-entrained dust, and the synergistic effects of multiple pollutants. The work included a review of current literature, a synthesis report providing an overview of the state of knowledge and an assessment of research gaps and unresolved questions, and the development of a set of briefing materials and presentations to inform the FHWA and its partners on this issue.
Planned Activity 1.1: Leverage non-transportation organizations’ working knowledge and understanding of low-income and minority communities to better understand existing conditions, community issues, and needs, e.g., American Planning Association (APA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), EPA, and the World Bank.
Planned Activity 1.2: Promote through NCHRP, TCRP, federal, state, academic, not-for-profit and international research programs, work on issues on the sociological impacts of operations and maintenance facilities in EJ communities.
Planned Activity 1.3: Issue a Call for Papers for 2006 Annual meeting with specific focus on assessing the health/EJ/transportation connection.
Planned Activity 1.4: Promote research on identifying resources that are available, or could be made available, to communities for conducting independent impact studies and developing plans to offset identified adverse impacts.
Planned Activity 1.5: Promote research on assessing the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (Uniform Act) and the Federal Functional Replacement Program.
Research Area 2: Research and development of improved methods and techniques
Recent Related Research: NCHRP 8-36, Task 11 and NCHRP Report 532 are complete but primarily focused on identifying methods at the project level. There continues to be a need for dissemination on effective methods for program or policy level effects analysis.
Planned Activity 2.1: Promote through NCHRP, TCRP, federal, state, academic, not-for-profit and international research programs, an investigation on the impacts of busses, including BRT, spending decision-making and socio-economic effects on EJ populations. Are there opportunity costs not included in transportation modeling?
Planned Activity 2.2: Promote through NCHRP, TCRP, federal, state, academic, not-for-profit and international research programs, and work on possible methods for determining economic implications for communities from transportation investments.
Planned Activity 2.3: Support documentation and dissemination of case studies through sponsorship on sessions or calls for papers on economic benefits related to community building projects (mitigation: How EJ can be an agent of positive change?)
Planned Activity 2.4: Support research on improving the infrastructure and reporting capability of operations and maintenance data to enable closer assessment of present conditions with the objective of further understanding existing deficiencies, needs and inequities created by our current transportation systems and services.
Research Area 3: Research on the availability of data sources needed to identify and evaluate minority and low-income populations.
Planned Activity 3.1: Promote research on survey methodology and data.
Research Area 4: Research on the indirect and cumulative effects associated with transportation projects that could contribute to a disproportionate impact.
Planned Activity 4.1: Promote research on techniques for measuring the cumulative effects from transportation projects after years of operations on EJ populations (e.g. reconstruction of an Interstate).
Planned Activity 4.2: Promote research on determining the cumulative impacts on the economic wellbeing of EJ populations
Research Area 5: Research on how effective transportation professionals are in reaching the underserved with existing public involvement techniques.
Planned Activity 5.1: Promote research on effective methods at the System Planning level.
Planned Activity 5.2: Promote dissemination community benefits agreements as a tool to offset the adverse impacts of transportation investments through sponsoring sessions, calls for papers, etc.
Planned Activity 5.3: Promote research on engaging low-income and minority populations to actively and continuously assist in transportation planning for their communities.
Research Area 6: Much of the Task Force’s proposed environmental justice research has been completed in the past four years. Accordingly, there needs to be a sixth research focus area on implementing research, application and practices. Who implements EJ and how within Federal, state, and local agencies?
Planned Activity 6.1: Develop a Biennial newsletter for Committee members, friends and committee liaisons, TRB, and practitioners to disseminate information in order to keep abreast of the leading issues surrounding environmental justice.
Planned Activity 6.2: Provide a central clearinghouse within TRB for issues related to EJ populations. Provide continuity of research.
Planned Activity 6.3: With the publication of NCHRP Report 532, Effective Methods for Environmental Justice Assessment, there is an opportunity to partner with federal, state, academic, not-for-profit and international agencies on improving existing training courses on environmental justice and to expand the transportation and environmental practitioner’s appreciation for methods relevant to the analysis of environmental justice.
Cross Cutting: In addition to research activities in specific research areas, the Committee would promote cross-cutting research ideas
Planned Activity X.1: International perspective: USA is setting agendas for Europe and other parts of the world.
Planned Activity X.2: International Poster session. Comparison of how EJ is being addressed in other countries.
Planned Activity X.3: Form EJ Issue-specific sub-committees to focus on some unmet research need. Possibilities include linking EJ to access, health, education, housing, economic development, quality of life, social capital.