How should Environmental Justice be addressed in the planning process?
Environmental justice must be considered in all phases of planning. Although Environmental Justice concerns are frequently raised during project development, Title VI applies equally to the plans, programs, and activities of planning. On October 7, 1999, FHWA and FTA issued a memorandum to their respective field administrative offices clarifying Title VI requirements in metropolitan and statewide planning. The memorandum identifies a series of actions that can be taken to support Title VI compliance and Environmental Justice goals, improve planning performance, and minimize the potential for subsequent corrective action and complaint. Specifically, the memorandum provides technical assistance for three key areas of planning: (1) provides questions and concerns to raise during annual self-certification of compliance with Title VI, metropolitan planning certification reviews in Transportation Management Areas (TMAs), and statewide planning findings; (2) provides questions and concerns to
