Federal actions are required to comply with an array of laws pertaining generally to issues of civil rights, equity and community impacts. An environmental document must disclose effects related to these issues. The general methods for analyzing and disclosing these effects fall under what is generally referred to as environmental justice (EJ) and community impact analyses (CIA). Violations of the statutes below can have serious consequences. EJ and CIA issues are a major source of environmental litigation.

EJ and CIA analyses are among the most difficult analyses to perform because they resist standardization. The variables related to and affecting the analyses are complex, and their importance may vary as a result of the scale of project and the context within which the project occurs. In addition, guidance changes rapidly. The publication “ ,” FHWA publication number FHWA-PD-96-036 (FHWA-CI), is especially useful for an LG to use during scoping of a transportation project. Many others are available from FHWA.

The statutes and executive orders listed below generally provide that a project must equitably distribute project benefits among members of covered groups or classes of people.

Guidance for these subjects and others can be found at the website.

In general, the responsibilities for the EJ and CIA analyses vary and coordination between the LG and TxDOT is strongly encouraged. The provides information related to these analyses and to the responsibilities of the LG and TxDOT for a project.