RPC Documents and: Air Quality,                
Citizens with Disabilities and
Public Involvement

  Citizens With Disabilities     Citizen Participation          Search Site
0

EPA, Office of
Air and Radiation

US Environmental Protection Agency

Air Quality

The RPC and Air Quality

The RPC is vigilant in monitoring the effects of various highway and mass transit projects and other transportation improvement programs on our transportation system to ensure their conformity with requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments.

Four parishes surrounding the New Orleans urbanized area, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard and St. Charles,were designated as an air-quality maintenance area for ozone in accordance with the Clean Air Act Amendments in 1995.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency designated areas for the 8-hour ozone standard on April 15, 2004 and published its final designation rule on April 30, 2004 (FR 23858). The four parishes comprising the New Orleans maintenance area under the 1-hour standard were designated as being in attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard. Attainment of the 8-hour standard for ozone in the New Orleans SMSA was based on three consecutive years of air-quality monitoring data which demonstrated compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for all criteria pollutants.

As the metropolitan planning organization for the New Orleans area, the RPC has the responsibility for making conformity determinations on metropolitan transportation plans and transportation improvement programs before they are adopted, approved or accepted in air-quality, non-attainment and maintenance areas.

You may also want to visit our Web page: Environmental Initiatives
0

Citizens with Disabilities

The RPC assesses the effects of various highway and mass- transit projects and other transportation improvement programs on our transportation system to ensure their conformity with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). RPC makes these conformity determinations throughout the transportation planning process.

Handicapped advocacy groups are contacted for their review and comment on these projects and programs.

A note about our Web site and Accessibility

Efforts at meeting federal government and other accessibility guidelines have been initiated. At present, these efforts consist of keeping color-perception problems in mind when designing the site, and providing accurate, informative descriptions of graphics, buttons, photographs, icons and charts, by means of "Alt Tags." (Alt Tags are those little boxes of text that should appear when you place your pointer over a graphic on a Web page.)

These two are the most basic and easily implemented steps any Web site can take in providing for accessibility. We will continue to expand our accessibility features as our Web site expands, by utilizing information provided by the following organizations (and any others we come across): WC3 (World Wide Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative) and WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind). Although the RPC is not required to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, we will, nevertheless, look to its text for additional guidance.

Public Involvement         Outreach

Citizen participation and community involvement are encouraged and implemented throughout the formulation of the Metropolitan Transportation Plans and the Transportation Improvement Programs. Public input is sought through public meetings with local officials, business and civic leaders, transit providers, elderly and handicapped advocacy groups, minority business and community organizations.

The RPC also utilizes local newspapers to inform citizens of regional projects and to promote alternative transportation modes including walking, biking, taking public transit and vanpooling.

On its own initiative, the RPC has developed an extensive citizen-outreach program to encourage greater citizen involvement in the planning process. To this end, the RPC has compiled a map and mailing list of over 200 neighborhood associations throughout the region. Periodic mail-outs are made to key umbrella-organizations to inform them about the MTP and TIP and to solicit their input concerning planned improvements as well as other transportation needs and problems in the region.

Public participation efforts also focus on environmental justice and social equity issues through the development of a “community dialogue” process designed to engage the community in a “strategic conversation” about community needs and goals.

Copies of draft editions of these transportation documents are made available to the public via placement in governmental offices, public libraries and on the RPC Web site. Prior to adoption of a MTP or TIP, a minimum of 30 days is provided for citizen review, input and comment.

The public is also afforded the opportunity to express their comments directly to the RPC’s Transportation Policy Committee concerning these documents prior to official action.

Back to:

RPC Documents Chart and MTPs

TIPs and UPWP