Final Environmental Impact Statement - New Federal Courthouse

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Socioeconomics Construction of a new courthouse would result in a temporary infusion of money from the federal government into the area, and this would increase total incomes in Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County. Income would increase directly for workers associated with the project, and indirectly through purchases of goods and services by these workers. Economic impacts from construction would cease shortly after construction is finished. Operation of the courthouse would not significantly increase income in the area. Environmental Justice The 1994 Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, requires each federal agency to make achieving "environmental justice" part of its mission, to the maximum extent practicable. Each agency is required to "identify and address, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States." The order emphasizes incorporation of minority and low-income groups into the decision-making process, as is already required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Guidance provided by the Council on Environmental Quality Environmental Justice Guidance Under the National Environmental Policy Act (1998) states that in order to form aminority/low- income community, the minority/low-income populations of the affected area should exceed 50 percent of the total population, or the minority/low-income populations should be "meaningfully greater" than the minority/low-income population in the general population or other appropriate unit of geographic analysis. The overall Eugene/Springfield area and the areas surrounding the alternative courthouse sites does not have minority or low-income populations greater than 50 percent and does not meet the first criterion. As described above in the demographics section, the downtown/campus areas have a high proportion of residents below the poverty level and a relatively high minority population. The Riverfront area has a demographic composition very similar to that of the city of Springfield, although the area has a large percentage of the city's Hispanic population (see Table 9). Given the higher poverty rate around the Eugene site (see Table 10), it appears that environmental justice should be addressed in this EIS. There is also concern about the potential for the federal courthouse to induce economic redevelopment in the Riverfront area and adversely affect the Hispanic population in the area (see Table 9). The proposed project has not, however, been designed, revised, or situated based on the presence or absence of low-income or minority populations. In order to ensure environmental justice through meaningful community representation, GSA conducted scoping meetings in close proximity to the proposed sites and sent newsletters to all interested parties. After publication of the draft EIS, a second newsletter was prepared and mailed to adjacent residents. The second newsletter described the project status, announced the public hearings, and included a project Fina! EIS 116 New Federal Courthouse