Environmental Justice-Related Document Number 27
To Members of IERG’s Environmental Justice-Related Issues Workgroup:
The Illinois EPA has made its EJ Start Mapping Tool available publicly through its website. As Members will recall, this tool is used by the Agency in determining whether a given facility is in a “potential EJ area” that triggers the Agency’s enhanced public outreach. The tool maps those areas of the state that have low-income and/or minority populations that are greater than twice the state-wide average. The Agency also uses a 1-mile “buffer” around the areas to identify facilities with the potential to impact EJ areas (which you can turn on and off in the mapping tool).
Members that are unsure about their facilities’ status as being in an EJ area have previously been able to review their status through the Illinois EPA’s permitting portal (link), but now can utilize the mapping tool to double-check the designation and/or assess other sites’ status.
The EJ Start tool is available at: http://illinois-epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=12988284d0a34002961f873da81ff80c
Members with questions or comments are encouraged to contact IERG Staff at iergstaff@ierg.org or 217-522-5512.