Agenda - Council Work Session - 12/09/2014

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Page 7 Equity and Environmental Justice An important consideration for the TPP is its impact on all populations in the Minneapolis - Saint Paul region, including communities of color, low-income populations, persons with disabilities, and persons with limited English proficiency. Anoka County, with our diverse demographics, supports this ideal as it represents a significant portion of our communities as well. For instance, in the Anoka -Hennepin School District (which represents primarily our suburban communities), 22 percent of the students are non -white, 34 percent are eligible for free or reduced lunches, and 7 percent required instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL). Unfortunately, the Plan focuses a narrow emphasis on what are called Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RCAP). While Anoka County does indeed have poverty and a diverse racial makeup, we do not have any RCAP areas as defined by the Plan. In fact, only five of the region's nearly 190 communities have these areas within their borders. Additionally, the Met Council has revised the project selection process for the Regional Solicitation of Federal Funds that will make it very difficult for Anoka County to compete. Specifically, the inclusion of a criteria that awards an applicant up to 20 additional percentage points if it can be shown that the project will positively impact specific RCAP areas. Considered another way, this means that over 97 percent of the region's communities will be at a severe disadvantage in competing for these funds. This will unfairly penalize 91 percent of the population simply because they do not live in one of these areas, which account for less than 100 square miles or less than 4 percent of the nearly 3,000 square miles comprising our region. With regards to the federal concern of environmental justice, we believe that this Plan distorts the underlying concern. In the planning of transportation projects that involve federal funds, we are required to evaluate the extent that minority populations are impacted by the project and are not adversely affected by the project. The Plan turns this concept on its head by trying to imply that more transportation projects should be implemented in RCAP areas. While certain transit and non -motorized modes of transportation may actually be beneficial to these communities, we strongly disagree with the amount of emphasis this is being given to highway improvement projects. RECOMMENDATION The Metropolitan Council should reconsider its implementation strategy of reducing poverty and improving racial diversification as presented in the TPP. Anoka County is in the business of fighting poverty and promoting self-sufficiency. We are doing this by addressing many of the root causes. We know that a comprehensive set of conditions and supports need to be in place to do this, but very few of these have to do with transportation infrastructure in general and highways in particular. Compliance with Federal Requirements The federal transportation legislation MAP-21 instituted a requirement that the metropolitan planning process establish and use a performance -based approach to transportation decision making to support national goals. Federal law established performance goals in seven areas: • Safety — To achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.