Demographics of Dumping II: A National Environmental Equity Survey and the Distribution of Hazardous Materials Handlers*

Using a national survey of facilities governed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), we examine the socio-spatial distribution of a much larger group of hazardous materials handlers than did previous environmental equity studies. Overall we find that RCRA-governed facilities are more likely to be sited in working-class neighborhoods with lower percentages of minority residents. We do not find evidence of stark environmental inequities. RCRA facilities, however, are close to neighborhoods with a higher percentage of minority residents. And in nonmetropolitan areas, they are slightly more likely to be located in neighborhoods with a higher percentage of black residents.