Abandoned Science, Broken Promises

The document details two environmental justice studies. The first analyzed PM2.5 emissions from natural gas and coal-fired power plants in the Northeast US between 2011 and 2015. The second used GIS buffer analysis to determine if low-income households and people of color live closer to PFAS-contaminated facilities than white or higher-income households in the US and Michigan. Findings for PFAS contamination show that in Michigan, 48.72% of households within five miles of a contaminated site are low-income, compared to 14.51% statewide. Nationally, people of color represent 34.59% of the population within three miles of PFAS sites, compared to 27.03% of the general US population.

• In Michigan, low-income households are disproportionately represented near PFAS-contaminated sites; while 14.51% of households statewide are low-income, this figure rises to 23.49% within a three-mile radius and 48.72% within a five-mile radius of such sites.
• At the United States national level, people of color are more likely to live within three miles of a PFAS-contaminated site (34.59%) than they are in the general US population (27.03%).
• The document outlines a methodology for identifying environmental justice communities by using k-means cluster analysis on 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data, specifically focusing on 'Percent non-white' and 'Percent in poverty' indicators.
• An analysis was conducted on the atmospheric dispersion of PM2.5 emitted by coal- and natural gas-fired power plants in the Northeast United States from 2011 to 2015, focusing on 285 census tracts that contained at least one power plant.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Abandoned Science, Broken Promises. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Appendix-Equity-Report-10-2019.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Abandoned Science, Broken Promises. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Appendix-Equity-Report-10-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Abandoned Science, Broken Promises |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Appendix-Equity-Report-10-2019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndabandoned, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Abandoned Science, Broken Promises}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Appendix-Equity-Report-10-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }