New pollution‑mapping tool
A newly updated pollution‑mapping tool now enables states to pinpoint communities most at risk from environmental hazards, offering a replicable data approach for New England organizers to target environmental‑justice campaigns. The report highlights methodology that can be adapted for state‑level remediation prioritization. (wavepublication.com)
California’s Air Resources Board released an updated Pollution Mapping Tool (v2.7) that incorporates 2023 emissions data for criteria pollutants, toxic air contaminants and greenhouse gases from large facilities. (ww2.arb.ca.gov) California’s screening methodology, CalEnviroScreen, produces tract-level scores by combining environmental, health and socioeconomic indicators; CalEnviroScreen 4.0 was released in October 2021 and a draft update (CalEnviroScreen 5.0) circulated in 2023. (oehha.ca.gov) CARB’s pollution map explicitly layers CalEnviroScreen outputs and updated SB 535 disadvantaged-community boundaries, showing how a state tool can feed legal and funding designations used for remediation prioritization. (ww3.arb.ca.gov) Connecticut’s state-specific EJScreen produces a cumulative Environmental Justice Index at the census-tract level by integrating pollution sources, exposures, health sensitivities and socioeconomic factors, a methodology summarized in a 2025 MDPI review of state tools. (mdpi.com) The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) developed a public-facing statewide EJ map with co-design input and local indicator choices documented in press coverage and project materials in 2023. (connecticut-environmental-justice.circa.uconn.edu) Vermont law (3 V.S.A. § 6007) requires the Agency of Natural Resources to produce a statewide environmental‑justice mapping tool and report indices “at the smallest geographic level practicable,” with the statute and related DEC guidance directing tool development and public use. (law.justia.com) (dec.vermont.gov) State tools commonly layer federal datasets—EPA’s EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas and the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network are frequently used data foundations—while contaminant-specific maps such as EWG’s PFAS interactive map provide site-level confirmations for remediation planning. (epa.gov 1) (epa.gov 2) (ephtracking.cdc.gov) (ewg.org)
