What Is It?: DEP defines an environmental justice area as “any census tract where 20 percent or more individuals live in poverty, and/or 30 percent or more of the population is minority”. In Fayette County, the entirety of Springhill, Nicholson, German, and Georges Townships are environmental justice areas, as well as a large part of Dunbar Township.


Why Does It Matter?: There are supposed to be enhanced public participation requirements for permits in environmental justice areas, but news of this actually ever happening is scarce. Among the issues affecting Environmental Justice are:

• Only certain permits, called “trigger permits”, are considered for Environmental Justice.
  
  
• For Air Quality permits, a permit has to already fall under Major Source to qualify as a trigger permit; Minor Source air quality permits now get no public participation at all.
  
  
• There is no public participation in the determination that an Air Quality permit is minor source. This means there is no environmental justice in the determination that a permit is minor source.
  

Where Can I Find It?: DEP's policy document on public participation guidelines for environmental justice areas is located here:
<http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/Get/Version-48671/012-0501-002.pdf> See also:
<http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pa_environmental_justice_areas/20991>
<http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/dep_enhanced_public_participation_policy/20988>

For the 2010 Cenus GIS data delineating environmental justice areas, see:

<http://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/MetadataDisplay.aspx?entry=PASDA&file=EnvironmentalJusticeAreas2010.xml&dataset=265>

What’s been said about it?: