Sunday, September 30, 2012

FTA Issues New Civil Rights, Environmental Justice Guidance

The Federal Transit Administration has issued new guidance to help recipients of FTA grant funding better understand and comply with federal civil rights requirements and, separately, Environmental Justice principles. New guidance in the form of a revised circular is now available to help FTA funding recipients comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

The revised Title VI circular provides guidance to FTA funding recipients on how to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Title VI regulations, which require careful evaluation of the impact of proposed service and fare changes on minority riders and the provision of language access to people with limited English proficiency.

Environmental Justice

FTA’s new Environmental Justice Circular, which became effective on August 15, 2012, is the first stand-alone guidance we’ve issued to address the intent of the 1994 Executive Order on Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. The new circular is meant to ensure that FTA funding recipients avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations. FTA funding recipients are also required to incorporate EJ principles into transportation planning and decision-making processes as well as project-specific environmental reviews
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Environmental Justice Policy Guidance For Federal Transit Administration Recipients:
Federal Register Volume 77, Issue 137 (July 17, 2012)

Summary: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its Web site final guidance in the form of a Circular (hereinafter ``EJ Circular'') on incorporating environmental justice principles into plans, projects, and activities that receive funding from FTA. This final guidance provides recommendations to State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public transportation providers, and other recipients of FTA funds on how to fully engage environmental justice populations in the public transportation decision-making process; how to determine whether environmental justice populations would be subjected to disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects as a result of a transportation plan, project, or activity; and how to avoid, minimize, or mitigate these effects.

Circular 4703.1 is effective August 15, 2012
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New Guidance on Title VI Civil Rights Requirements

The Federal Transit Administration has updated the Title VI Circular to 4702.1B. FTA’s revised circular provides guidance to grantees on how to comply with Title VI regulations, as well as to ensure grantees provide meaningful language access to persons who are limited English proficient. The circular provides specific compliance information for each type of grantee and provides comprehensive appendices including additional guidance and examples to ensure recipients understand the requirements.

FTA published a notice in the Federal Register on August 28, 2012 (77 FR 52116) addressing comments received during development of the Circular.

# For more information on the New Guidance visit the FTA at:
http://www.fta.dot.gov/index.html


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