SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected EnvironmentCCD and South Kohala CCD, 77.1 percent and 58.9 percent of occupied units were owned. NorthKona CCD had the highest level of vacancy (24.6 percent), most of which were seasonal/recreationalunits; and Paauhau-Paauilo CCD had the lowest vacancy rate (7.7 percent; U.S. Census Bureau 1990,2000a). There are no housing facilities at DMR, KTA, KLOA, or PTA.3.1.7.4 SchoolsWithin Hawaii County in 2000, a total of 32,974 students were enrolled in school up to high school(grade 12 level); of whom 6.7 percent were in preschool, 6.2 percent were in kindergarten,56.5 percent were in elementary school (grades 1 through 8), and 30.6 percent were in high school(grades 9 through 12). Within Honolulu County, a total of 168,531 students were enrolled in schoolup to high school (grade 12 level); of whom 7.7 percent were in preschool, 7.2 percent were in kindergarten,56.6 percent were in elementary school (grades 1 through 8), and 28.5 percent were in highschool (grades 9 through 12) (HDBEDT no date [a] and [b]). In general, schools near the ProposedAction are operating at or below capacity, with the exception of Mililani High School on Oahu.3.1.7.5 Environmental JusticeOn February 11, 1994, President Clinton issued EO 12898, entitled Federal Actions to Address EnvironmentalJustice in Minority and Low-Income Populations. This order requires that “each federalagency make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate,disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs,policies, and activities, on minority populations and low-income populations” (EO 12898, 59 FederalRegister [FR] 7629 [Section 1–101]).Gathered economic, racial, and demographic information were generated to identify areas of lowincomeand high minority populations (those who are in the minority of the population of the U.S. asa whole consisting of Blacks or African Americans, Native Americans, Eskimos, Aleuts, Asians, PacificIslanders, other, and two or more races) in and around the project area.Low-income populations are identified using the U.S. Census Bureau’s statistical poverty threshold,which varies by household size and number of children. Based on data from the 2000 Census, the1999 average estimated poverty threshold for an individual was an annual income of $8,787, and$17,601 for a four-person household (Dalaker and Proctor 2000). The nationwide poverty rate was12.4 percent at the 2000 Census and 12.5 percent in 2003 (U.S. Census Bureau 2006b). The U.S.Census Bureau defines a poverty area as a census tract where 20 percent or more of the residents haveincomes below the poverty threshold; an extreme poverty area has 40 percent or more of the residentsbelow the poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau 1995).Minority populations are defined as the populations in all race categories except White and Hispanic.Hispanic is considered an ethnic group rather than a racial category because persons of Hispanic originmay be of any race. The dominant ethnic group in 2000 in the state and both Hawaii and HonoluluCounties was the Asian and Pacific Islander group, with 51.0, 38.0, and 54.9 percent of the population,respectively.Within Hawaii County, the Hilo and Papaikou-Wailea CCDs had the highest minority populations;however, all CCDs were composed of greater than 50 percent minority populations. Within HonoluluCounty, all CCDs were composed of 67 percent or greater minority populations.Census estimates for 1998 indicate that approximately 10.5 percent of the population of the State ofHawaii, 15.1 percent of Hawaii County, and 9.7 percent of Honolulu County were below the povertyFebruary 2008 3–51 2/25th SBCT Final EIS