Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice. Timber harvest and management activities are expected to continue to occur under any of the three alternatives under consideration. Under all alternatives, timber harvest and management activities are expected to occur throughout the Enrolled Lands and will follow applicable regulations (i.e., Forest Practices Rules and FPHCP). Direct effects of timber harvest would include the direct employment for timber harvesting activities and direct taxes paid to local governments. Indirectly, timber harvest activities could increase other employment in the area (e.g., local hotels, restaurants, etc.) and could lead to population growth and housing development in the area due to increased jobs. The chance of marbled murrelets nesting on other ownerships with their assumed 45-year rotation is very low outside RMZs and rule-protected areas. Thus, the enhanced management strategies associated with the Action Alternatives would be unlikely to increase species occupancy on other private and industrial lands, and therefore would be unlikely to cause hardships for other landowners. While low-income populations are likely to occur in the vicinity of the Enrolled Lands, none would be directly affected by the issuance of the Permit, as the amount and number of forest management activities on Enrolled Lands will remain relatively unchanged because of the increased level of thinning activities under the Proposed Action, and Alternative 3. Therefore, effects on socioeconomics and environmental justice are expected to be the same under all alternatives and no direct or indirect effects would be expected. Applicant would continue to employ approximately 67 people in forestry operations in Washington. Local tax revenues and yield taxes would be expected to remain similar to present conditions.
Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice. The Enrolled Lands span several Washington counties and will impact multiple communities. The most direct impact will be the gainful employment that results from timber harvests. The impact of gainful employment accrued over the term of this Agreement will boost the local economies of all communities near the Enrolled Lands. There is nothing to suggest that the cumulative effect of the proposed SHA combined with other actions and projects acting on the landscape will disproportionately affect low-income or minority populations.
Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice. This socioeconomic analysis used a qualitative assessment of the adverse effects that would result from the No Action and the Proposed Action alternatives. A determination of an environmental justice impact would occur if these adverse effects were to have a disproportionate effect on a minority and low-income population. A disproportionately high and adverse effect on minority and low-income populations means an adverse effect that would be
Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice. Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, requires that Federal agencies identify disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental impacts on minority or low- income individuals. Demographic data for the study area indicates that the minority population is significantly lower than in many other areas of the State (U.S. Census Bureau 2008). Low- income populations, however, are more likely to be present in the vicinity, based on the available data on poverty rates. Except for one very small parcel in Yakima County, the covered area lies within Skamania and Klickitat Counties, Washington, and in Hood River and Wasco Counties, Oregon, all of which are sparsely populated, rural areas heavily engaged in timber and agricultural production, with economic growth occurring in tourism-related industries. No major population centers exist in the area, although several small communities, Stevenson, Carson, White Salmon, Bingen, and Lyle (Washington), as well as Hood River and Mosier (Oregon), are nearby. The combined population of the four counties is 78,943 as of the 2010 Census (U.S. Census Bureau 2010). Census data for each of the four counties indicate that the population in the area is between 83 and 93 percent white in each of the counties, 87 percent over all four counties. This compares to 77.3 percent for Washington State and 83.6 percent for Oregon. The 2010 Census data also indicate that income in the area is below the respective State median in three of the four counties (Skamania County is 85 percent of the State median, Klickitat County is 65 percent of the State median, and Wasco County is 86 percent of the State median, but Hood River County is slightly above the State median at 104 percent of the State median). The higher income level in Hood River County is likely attributable to the lower unemployment rate in that county, along with higher-paying manufacturing jobs and the strong tourism- and services -based economy. In 2010, between 9.4 percent and 19.5 percent of the population in these four counties was earning an income below poverty level (9.4 percent in Skamania County, 9.5 percent in Hood River County, 15.5 percent in Wasco County, and 19.5 percent in Klickitat County), compared to 14 percent in Oregon and 12.1 percent in Washington (U.S. Census Bureau 2010). Other income and employment data for each of the four counties is included in Table 3-1...
Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice. Executive Order 12898, federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, states that “each federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.” This section describes socioeconomics and environmental justice, including population, housing, labor force, output and earnings, and minority and low-income populations. Information comes from publicly available sources, such as the United States Census Bureau (USCB), United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the State of Washington. County-specific details on socioeconomics and environmental justice are provided in Appendix A and summarized below in Table 3-10. Table 3-10. Population demographics within counties and census tracts that intersect the Enrolled Lands County Census Tract 2019 Population Estimate 2015 Median Income 2019 Minority Population (%) 2018 County Female Population (%) 2019 Poverty Rate (%) 2018 County Unemployment Rate (%) Statewide 7,546,410 $63,439 32.20% 50.00% 12.20% 4.50% Cowlitz 0012.00 4,056 $53,438 13.39% 50.00% 11.26% 5.70% Cowlitz 0016.00 6,901 $56,875 8.04% 50.00% 9.56% 5.70% County Census Tract 2019 Population Estimate 2015 Median Income 2019 Minority Population (%) 2018 County Female Population (%) 2019 Poverty Rate (%) 2018 County Unemployment Rate (%) Statewide 7,546,410 $63,439 32.20% 50.00% 12.20% 4.50% Cowlitz 0017.00 5,019 $69,750 10.66% 50.00% 7.39% 5.70% Cowlitz 0018.00 1,894 $55,667 14.10% 50.00% 8.71% 5.70% Cowlitz 0019.00 5,144 $64,228 5.07% 50.00% 13.36% 5.70% Cowlitz 0020.01 3,948 $63,458 4.31% 50.00% 7.78% 5.70% Cowlitz 0020.02 6,266 $56,070 9.96% 50.00% 7.19% 5.70% Grays Harbor 0003.00 3,309 $53,125 13.39% 50.00% 10.09% 6.70% Grays Harbor 0004.00 6,532 $59,188 14.70% 50.00% 4.01% 6.70% Grays Harbor 0005.00 6,192 $47,008 9.12% 50.00% 17.47% 6.70% Grays Harbor 0006.00 3,719 $50,682 11.13% 50.00% 16.15% 6.70% Grays Harbor 0007.00 4,834 $48,147 19.20% 50.00% 18.72% 6.70% Grays Harbor 0013.00 3,434 $39,375 14.91% 50.00% 22.08% 6.70% King 0312.02 6,151 $76,932 27.02% 50.00% 15.12% 3.50% King 0313.01 2,781 $74,632 21.18% 50.00% 13.00% 3.50% King 0315.02 4,287 $74,306 11.20% 50.00% 7.88%...
