California’s environmental justice screening tool, designed to identify communities burdened by pollution, has come under scrutiny for not explicitly considering race or ethnicity in its methodology. Critics argue that this omission overlooks the significant role race plays in environmental disparities. Despite this, the tool has been found to align closely with racial demographics, inadvertently prioritizing communities of color which often face greater pollution burdens.
Alvaro Sanchez, Vice President of Policy at the Greenlining Institute, acknowledges the tool’s limitations but notes that with the right methodology, it can still effectively identify the most impacted communities. The Equity Research Institute’s Director, Manuel Pastor, confirms that the tool’s criteria, such as proximity to hazardous facilities and traffic, serve as proxies for race, underscoring the persistent link between race and environmental burdens.
The tool’s race-neutral approach has led to mixed results, flagging some predominantly non-white tracts while overlooking others with high percentages of residents of color. This has sparked a debate on the need to directly address racial and ethnic factors in environmental justice initiatives. Community engagement and feedback are seen as crucial steps in refining the tool to better serve all disadvantaged communities in California.
See “California’s flawed tool on environmental justice” by Lynn La on the Cal Matters website (February 23, 2024)