EJSCREEN

EJSCREEN
Name	EJSCREEN
Developer	United States Environmental Protection Agency
Type	Environmental justice mapping tool
Launch	2014

EJSCREEN is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to provide data and maps that combine environmental and demographic indicators at multiple geographic scales. It offers users the ability to visualize and download data for screening potential disparities related to pollution and social vulnerability across the United States and its territories. EJSCREEN is intended to inform analyses by federal agencies, state agencies, community groups, research institutions, and legal practitioners.

Overview

EJSCREEN integrates spatial datasets and statistical methods to present comparative scores and indicators for areas such as census tracts, counties, and states. It is produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and is used alongside programs and statutes administered by entities such as the United States Department of Justice, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tool’s outputs feed into planning, permitting, environmental review, and community engagement processes involving stakeholders like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and academic centers at institutions including Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University.

Data and Methodology

EJSCREEN combines environmental datasets compiled by agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, emissions and risk data tied to the Toxic Release Inventory, and air monitoring datasets from the Environmental Protection Agency’s monitoring networks. Demographic inputs derive from the United States Census Bureau and the American Community Survey. The methodology uses geographic units defined by the United States Census and spatial join techniques used in software like ArcGIS and QGIS. Statistical procedures for score normalization and percentile ranking resemble practices in reports by the National Research Council and methods used by researchers at the Brookings Institution and Resources for the Future. EJSCREEN’s indicators are updated periodically to reflect revisions from sources including the Integrated Risk Information System and emissions inventories maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Environmental and Demographic Indicators

Environmental datasets include modeled or measured indicators relating to ambient concentrations and exposures such as particulate matter estimates informed by work from National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite products, proximity to Superfund (United States) sites, and traffic-related pollution metrics used in studies by groups like the Health Effects Institute. Demographic indicators incorporate variables from the American Community Survey such as poverty status, race and ethnicity categories recognized by the Office of Management and Budget, limited English proficiency measures relevant to civil rights casework, and age distributions analyzed in research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. EJSCREEN synthesizes these into composite metrics such as an Environmental Justice Index and demographic indices used by municipal agencies in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Houston.

Uses and Applications

Practitioners use the tool for initial screening in environmental review processes tied to laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and permitting under statutes administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. State environmental agencies in California, Texas, and New York (state) integrate EJSCREEN outputs into planning and community outreach, while tribal governments referenced by the Bureau of Indian Affairs use similar mapping for consultation. Nonprofit organizations including Earthjustice and Greenpeace utilize EJSCREEN-derived maps to prioritize campaigns and litigation, as do academic researchers at Princeton University and University of Michigan for quantitative equity analyses. EJSCREEN outputs have been cited in local ordinance debates in municipalities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

Criticisms and Limitations

Scholars and advocates have critiqued EJSCREEN for limitations in indicator selection, spatial resolution, and model uncertainty, echoing concerns raised in literature from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and articles published in journals like Environmental Health Perspectives and Science Advances. Critics note that EJSCREEN’s reliance on census-based units can obscure intra-tract heterogeneity discussed in analyses by Brookings Institution scholars and that modeled pollution surfaces may diverge from localized monitoring campaigns led by institutions such as Columbia University and University of California, Los Angeles. Legal analysts referencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and administrative law cases have pointed to challenges when using EJSCREEN in adjudicatory contexts, including questions about standing and evidentiary sufficiency in litigation before courts such as the United States Court of Appeals.

History and Development

EJSCREEN’s development traces to policy initiatives during administrations overseen by cabinets including the United States Department of Energy and executive actions emphasizing equity, with technical input from federal programs such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and collaborations with academic partners at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Washington. The initial public release in 2014 followed pilot tools and frameworks developed in response to reports by the Environmental Protection Agency and recommendations in community-led studies from organizations like the West Harlem Environmental Action and the Labor-Community Strategy Center. Subsequent iterations incorporated feedback from stakeholders including state agencies, tribal governments, and civil rights groups, and updates have synchronized inputs with releases from the United States Census Bureau and pollutant inventories maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Category:Environmental justice tools