DASH Guide:Environmental Justice Areas

Environmental Justice areas in this guide have been defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The Department defines an environmental justice area as any census tract where at least 20 percent of the population lives in poverty, and/or 30 percent or more of the population is minority.

What's Included in the Data

Publicly Available

• Census Tract

Where to Find the Data

• Open Data on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center's Website
• Interactive Map
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Areas Website

Things to Know

Environmental Justice areas defined by the Pennsylvania DEP are used in facility permitting. Facilities applying for a permit in an environmental justice area need to follow special guidelines which involve engaging the community and receiving public comment before they can be approved.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to define the environmental justice areas using 2010 Census Tract boundaries.