EPA Releases NEPAssist web application

NEPAssist

NEPAssist
NEPAssist is a tool that facilitates the environmental review process and project planning in relation to environmental considerations. The web-based application draws environmental data dynamically from EPA Geographic Information System databases and web services and provides immediate screening of environmental assessment indicators for a user-defined area of interest. These features contribute to a streamlined review process that potentially raises important environmental issues at the earliest stages of project development.

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Study: Metro Atlanta's poor, minorities live near worst pollution

SOURCE:  T Wheatley 

It's not a shocker but it's still depressing to see: According to a new report (PDF) by an environmental law firm and advocacy group, metro Atlanta's minorities, people living on low incomes, and families who speak a language other than English are more likely to live near and be affected by pollution than whites and those with higher incomes. And in contrast to the federal government, the state lags behind when it comes to addressing such environmental justice issues. Researchers with GreenLaw, an Atlanta-based environmental law firm, broke the 14-county metro region up into equal-sized square blocks and analyzed the overlap between demographics and types of pollution including brownfields, landfills, and facilities emitting pollutants, inside each. (If you're curious how your neighborhood stacks up with others, you're in luck.)
The team identified five of metro Atlanta's "environmental justice hotspots" — the worst of which is the area where Douglas, Fulton and Cobb counties converge near Fulton Industrial Boulevard and the Chattahoochee River.

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HUD Guidance for HUD-assisted Manufactured Housing near Hazardous Operations (24 CFR Part 51 Subpart C)

24 CFR Part 51 Subpart C - "Siting of HUD-Assisted Projects Near Hazardous Operations Handing Conventional Fuels or Chemicals of an Explosive Or Flammable Nature", establishes explosion and thermal radiation safety standards to determine an Acceptable Separation Distance (ASD) from potential hazards involving chemicals of an explosive or fire prone nature stored in above ground stationary containers.

HUD's Region IV office in Atlanta issued a December 5, 2011 memo describing how and when HUD regulation 24 CFR Subpart C applies to Manufactured Housing.  Here is a link to the memo:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8_KPWB0jP6AYzY4YTRjYTEtMDhhMC00MTFmLWI5MDAtMjQ4ODBlNjgxYzM0

For more HUD Environmental Guidance, go to: http://www.hud.gov/local/shared/working/r4/environment/index.cfm?state=ga