More residents in the state will be protected by environmental regulations enforced by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Marie Cusick reports: "The state Department of Environmental Protection is expanding the number of people who are considered to live in an environmental justice area — a designation aimed at protecting poor and minority communities that often bear the brunt of industrial development and pollution."
The policy change amounts to a change in the unit of measure used to decide the environmental justice area. The state is ditching the census tract for the census block group. Now, nearly a third of the state's population lives in an environmental justice area.
"Applications for certain things in EJ areas — like landfills or coal mines — are on a 'trigger permit list' and get more scrutiny from the state Department of Environmental Protection," explains Cusick. The policy change grew out of a year of public engagement by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as the Marcellus Shale industry continues to open new facilities.
FULL STORY: With policy change, nearly a third of Pennsylvanians live in ‘environmental justice’ areas
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions