Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
about 30 percent higher than for the State, which as established earlier is considered the general
population for purposes of this study. As such, the American Indian population in Cibola County
constitutes an environmental justice population. The breakdown of minority populations is
summarized in table 42.
Table 42. Summary of minority populations
County Population Minority
(%)
Cibola 27,213 21,540
(79.1)
McKinley 71,492 64,412
(90.0)
New
Mexico
2,059,179 1,219,193
(59.2)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010
American
Indian and
Alaska
Native
(%)
11,156
(41.0)
53,988
(75.5)
193,222
(9.4)
Black or
African
American
(%)
275
(1.0)
360
(0.5)
42,550
(2.1)
Asian
(%)
149
(0.5)
568
(0.8)
28,208
(1.4)
Native
Hawaiian
and Other
Pacific
Islander (%)
26
(0.1)
23
(0.0)
1,810
(0.1)
Hispanic
or Latino
(%)
9,934
(36.5)
9,473
(13.3)
953,403
(46.3)
To examine racial/ethnic distribution in the vicinity of the mine, all census tracts in Cibola and
McKinley Counties were identified (figure 58). From census information race and ethnicity could
be identified for people within those tracts, whether they were owners or renters of property. The
data reveal that within a 20-mile radius of the proposed uranium mine site, minority populations
represent either less than 50 percent or between 86 and 100 percent of the total census tract
population. Therefore, because of this 86–100 percent concentration, the immediate vicinity of
the proposed project site represents an environmental justice population. The distribution of
minority populations by census tracts confirms that since the McKinley population is comprised
of at least half minority status, and the representation is more than the State of New Mexico in a
meaningful way, it constitutes an environmental justice population by both bases of the CEQ
definition. Since more than half of the Cibola population south of the proposed mine site consists
of minority populations, it constitutes an environmental justice population by this basis of the
CEQ definition (CEQ, 1997).
Low-Income Populations
There are two components to addressing income as it relates to environmental justice: “low
income” and “below poverty level.” A low-income population is defined by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development as 80 percent of the median family income for the
designated area (USDHUD, 2012). The low-income designation is subject to adjustment for areas
with unusually high or low incomes or housing costs. According to the 2010 Census, New
Mexico’s median family income is $52,300; therefore, the poverty level threshold for family
income would be $41,840 (80 percent of median family income). McKinley County had a 2010
median family income of $36,924, which is 70.6 percent of the State’s median income. Therefore,
McKinley County is classified as a low-income area for the purposes of this study. Cibola County
had a median family income of $39,349, which is 75.2 percent of the State’s median income.
Therefore, Cibola County is also classified as a low-income area for the purposes of this study
(Census, 2010).
266 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest