Analysis - The Institute for Southern Studies

Comparison of Minority & Low-Income Populations Surrounding Electric Utility Plants to Statewide Benchmarks
Step 3, Step 4 and Step 5 of this evaluation described below involved three complementary levels of data comparisons. All three comparisons
also involved two complementary numerical comparisons, one based on calculating numerical percentages and the other on numerical ratios:
1. Plant level: Plant-by-plant disaggregated data comparison to statewide benchmarks
2. State level: State-by-state aggregated plant data comparison to statewide benchmarks
3. Nationwide level: Nationwide aggregated plant data comparison to nationwide benchmarks
Calculation of Three Alternative Demographic Statistics Comparison Methods
Step 3: On a plant-by-plant basis, EPA compared the plant ZCTA percentage minority and percentage low-income population data, to the
respective statewide average percentages for each sub-group. This constituted the 1 st level of data comparison.
Step 4: For purpose of summary, EPA aggregated the plant level population comparison data for each state as displayed in Exhibit 7G below.
This constituted the 2 nd level of data comparison. There are no data displayed for DC, ID, RI or VT because there are no coal-fired
electric utility plants in those states. Appendix N of this RIA presents the plant-by-plant Census data on which this Exhibit is based.
This step also involved aggregating the data across all 495 plants for comparison with the nationwide aggregate minority and lowincome
percentage benchmarks. This constituted the 3 rd level of data comparison.
Exhibit 7G
Minority and Low-Income Population Data Aggregated on State-by-State Basis
A B C D E F
(E/D)
G
(Exh 7F)
H
(DxG)
I J K
(DxJ)
L
(Exh 7F)
M
(DxL)
General Population Data Low Income Population Data (Below Poverty) Minority Population Data
Count of
Expected
2000 plant
count of Count of % of
population ZCTA % of plant
residents plants with plant Count of
Expected
residing in residents ZCTA State % below ZCTA% > ZCTA plant ZCTA
count of
electric utility below residents below poverty state% residents residents Statewide
minority
ZCTA plant ZCTA poverty below poverty poverty based on poverty that are that are
% based on
Item State count areas level level level state% level minority minority minority state%
1 AK 2 18,552 2,284 12.31% 8.40% 1,558 1 31.95% 5,928 30.70% 5,695 1
2 AL 9 82,854 20,331 24.54% 14.70% 12,180 6 42.17% 34,942 28.90% 23,945 4
3 AR 3 11,786 1,214 10.30% 15.80% 1,862 0 7.74% 912 20.00% 2,357 0
4 AZ 6 34,941 7,433 21.27% 13.50% 4,717 5 43.70% 15,270 24.50% 8,561 3
5 CA 4 112,895 24,749 21.92% 14.00% 15,805 5 45.22% 51,049 40.50% 45,722 2
6 CO 15 214,095 29,395 13.73% 8.50% 18,198 10 17.88% 38,275 17.20% 36,824 8
7 CT 2 42,716 6,427 15.05% 7.70% 3,289 1 45.14% 19,284 18.40% 7,860 1
8 DC ND
N
Count of
plants
with
ZCTA% >
state%
minority
level
219