In class investigation of EPA EJ/Screening Tool

Side by Side Maps of Houston

https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen

Resources

Understanding EJ Screen Results: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen/understanding-ejscreen-results

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EJScreen Mapper: https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/

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EJScreen Home: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen

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Recent Fires in Houston Chemical Plants:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/27/us/port-neches-plant-explosion/index.html

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/us/deer-park-itc-plant-fire-wednesday/index.html

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Also changes to EPA Risk Management Plan under the Trump Administration:

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/471510-epa-finalizes-rule-easing-chemical-plant-safety

Links to Presentations

Fill out these slides. Example slides are below this set.

Example Map (you choose a different pollution source and demographic variable)

Example Map Analysis:

1. Discuss and write down any terms here you don’t know, look them up online and add definitions (see resources slide).

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• Describe in your own words what the map on the left shows

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• Describe in your own words what the map on the right shows

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• Compare the two maps and write 3 summary interpretations of the maps

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Group X: Individual Investigations

Please read and comment on another group’s project. Links are in slide 3. Share what is interesting, surprising, similar and/or different from your findings.

Example User Interface Experience recommendations

Things to improve:

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Recommendations:

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Who and what is EJ Screen serving?

Use algorithmic ecology to evaluate the impacts

Who and what is EJ Screen serving?

Use algorithmic ecology to evaluate the impacts

• Who is the community impacted by this algorithm?
• What kinds of harm or benefit does the algorithm create?

Who and what is EJ Screen serving?

Use algorithmic ecology to evaluate the impacts

• What is the function of the algorithm?
• Where is the data stored?
• Who interacts with the algorithm?
• What do they do with it?

Who and what is EJ Screen serving?

Use algorithmic ecology to evaluate the impacts

• Who funds the program?
• Who benefits?
• What interests came together to create the program?

Who and what is EJ Screen serving?

Use algorithmic ecology to evaluate the impacts

• What ideologies motivate the actors within this system?
• What ideologies are upheld, intentionally or unintentionally, by the algorithmic ecology?

Strengths and Limitations of EJ Screen

• Nationwide EJ lens
• Provides uniform scoring method across the country
• Can identify large-scale EJ concerns within the country
• Provides screening-level analysis using nationally data at the census block level
• Useful for compliance and permitting

• Data limitations
• Limited environmental data
• Census data is biased
• Limited coverage in small areas/populations
• Does not capture fine-scale issues experienced by communities
• Scoring method is not comprehensive
• Combining demographics/indicators by multiplying percentiles introduces uncertainties

Example Slides

Example Map (you choose a different pollution source and demographic variable)

Example Map Analysis:

• Discuss and write down any terms here you don’t know, look them up online and add definitions (see resources slide).
1. ​
• Describe in your own words what the map on the left shows
• ​
• Describe in your own words what the map on the right shows
• ​
• Compare the two maps and write 3 summary interpretations of the maps

Group X: Individual Investigations

Please read and comment on each other’s projects, share what is interesting, surprising, similar and/or different from your findings, make at least 1 comment per project, add a +1 to comments you agree with or support

Example Ideas for more historicized EJ screen maps

• Borders of present-day indigenous lands, if present in area
• Toggle ancestral indigenous lands over rest of data
• Show primary languages of linguistically isolated households
• Not defined by only “absence of English” but “presence of other languages”
• Display densities of white populations on map, leaving holes where EJScreen shows “minority” majority populations
• Toggle button for displaying white versus non-white population densities
• Slider to show different years of data

Example User Interface Experience recommendations

Things to improve:

• Data missing or outdated
• Color scale problems: switching from color to grey, ability to change color unintuitively located
• Difficult to set boundaries
• Menu configuration: no scrolling, reordering elements, no visual distinction between selected menus
• NULL URLs
• Confusing or obscure terminology, mismatch between EPA and EJScreen
• Percentiles were confusing

Recommendations:

• Use two-color gradient to illustrate ranges of data
• Default: set map boundaries, e.g. town borders
• Have menu for changing map default display (borders, town names, etc.)
• Menus: enable scrolling; visual hierarchy between menu items (indents, text size), ability to move menu items around
• Link to EPA terminology page, w/same vocabulary as on EJScreen
• Replace percentiles with concrete data