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Characterization of the near-source population around five candidate ports.
Citation:
Brantley, H., G. Hagler, Sue Kimbrough, V. Isakov, T. Barzyk, S. Arunachalam, AND B. Naess. Characterization of the near-source population around five candidate ports. Presented at Air and Waste Management Association Conference, Raleigh, NC, June 22 - 25, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
This study comprises a GIS analysis characterizing the near-source environment from an intermodal perspective for five candidate ports on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. Analyses include evaluating the near-source populations residing near the port and associated freight transportation networks.
Description:
Our results indicate that environmental justice issues continue to be a concern in port areas. Within the 10 km domain of the port boundary, the Ports of Houston and Virginia had the greatest disparities in median income combined with the greater percentages of Blacks (in Virginia) and Hispanics (in Houston) living in the near-source environment compared to the far-source environment. Although the Port of New York and New Jersey had contrasting intra-community trends in terms of relative demographic differences between near- and far-source populations, the large variation in household income in the near-source population coupled with a majority-minority population indicates that environmental justice issues are still likely a concern. Increased air monitoring in near-port areas may benefit the potentially affected population, including sensitive and economically disadvantaged populations. Additionally, future modeling studies incorporating spatially explicit emissions along the freight transportation network may improve estimates of exposure for near-source populations. This information could shed further light on the risk presented by increased freight traffic and determine potential benefits of emission reduction and urban planning strategies.