SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environmentblocks and block groups, which are subsets of census tracts, were not used in this analysis because theexact locations of the construction projects are unknown at this time. Therefore, census tracts weredeemed the appropriate geographical reporting area for analyzing potential environmental justice impactsassociated with the proposed construction activity on FTC.The population of the census tracts including and immediately adjacent to FTC has a higher percentageof minority population than El Paso County and the ROI. The proportion of minority population,however, was lower than the 50 percent threshold. FTC’s residential population, as with other militarypopulations, contributes to that higher minority percentage in the immediate area of the post. Ofthe total U.S. military, 36 percent of active duty members identify themselves as minorities (Army2005).The poverty levels at FTC and other surrounding areas are below 20 percent. Although the povertyrate in the FTC area was slightly higher than the rate for El Paso County, the ROI, and Colorado, itdid not meet the 20 percent definition of a poverty area. Approximately 8 percent of El Paso County’spopulation lived below the poverty line as of the 2000 Census. Small geographical areas, where morethan 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty level, are scattered throughout the ColoradoSprings metropolitan area (DECAM 2002a).Protection of ChildrenChildren are present on FTC in a number of settings including family housing neighborhoods, threeelementary schools, one middle school, day care centers, and recreational areas. As of 2000, therewere nearly 2,400 children (18 years and younger) living on FTC, including 1,300 who were underthe age of 5 years (U.S. Census Bureau 2000d).3.3.7.2 Pinon Canyon Maneuver SiteThe ROI for the Proposed Action at the PCMS comprises Huerfano, Las Animas, and Otero Counties.The major communities near the PCMS are Trinidad in Las Animas County, and La Junta in OteroCounty.PopulationThe PCMS does not support a resident population. All troops that train at the PCMS are permanentlystationed either at or near FTC or other Army installations.Demographic information for the area is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau (U.S. CensusBureau 2000d, e and 2006b, c) and the Colorado State Demography Office (State of Colorado2006b). The population of the ROI declined slightly between 1980 and 2004 (from 43,904 to 43,875).Growth was highest in the 1990s, with an average annual growth rate of 0.82 percent. This rateslowed to 0.28 percent between 2000 and 2004. All three counties lost population between 1980 and1990.The share of the regional population contributed by Otero County decreased steadily from51.4 percent in 1980 to 44.8 percent in 2004. The contribution from Las Animas County increasedslightly from 33.9 percent in 1980 to 37.0 percent in 2004. Huerfano County’s contribution, thesmallest of the three counties, increased from 14.7 percent to 18.3 percent between 1980 and 2004.Each of the three counties in the ROI is characterized by a single population concentration that comprisesa large percentage of their respective county populations. Walsenburg in Huerfano Countysupports 46 percent of the county population, Trinidad in Las Animas County supports 58 percent ofFebruary 2008 3–164 2/25th SBCT Final EIS