Vermont Business Magazine The Environmental Justice Clinic at Vermont Law School and Vermont’s Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) challenged the Burlington "Champlain Parkway project.” The lawsuit supports residents of neighborhoods in the South End of Burlington through which part of the parkway will pass.
The plaintiffs argue the $47 million dollar project relies on a legally insufficient traffic analysis, violates public participation requirements related to federal projects of this size in environmental justice communities, and fails to acknowledge changing demographics in the area.
"We submit this brief in support of Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction because this project should not be allowed to proceed without full compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, including a complete environmental justice analysis to solicit and respond to the concerns of affected residents. The Champlain Parkway is proposed as a main traffic artery from Route 7/I-189 to the intersection of Main Street and Pine Street in Burlington, Vermont (hereinafter, “Champlain Parkway” or “Parkway”). Highway projects of this nature impact neighborhood cohesion, public safety, and the health of residents. Federal, state, and local decisionmakers evaluating the Champlain Parkway willfully chose to place these burdens and risks on a specific group of residents—those in the Maple/King neighborhood, a community comprising the most diverse population in Burlington, and for that matter, the State of Vermont."
Federal, state and local decision-makers behind this project willfully chose to place these burdens and risks onto a specific group of residents — those in the Maple/King neighborhood. A community comprising the most diverse population in Burlington, and for that matter, the state of Vermont.
Eighteen percent of the Maple/King neighborhood residents identify as people of color (Black, Indigenous, Alaskan Native, Latino or Hispanic) — a greater concentration than Burlington’s overall population of 17 percent.
While the construction slated to build this main traffic artery will directly impact:
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the community integrity
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public safety
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local health
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overall business development
The litigation calls to question whether the project, the Federal Highway Administration, plus state and local partners, met legal obligations to consider the environmental impacts of this development.
Source: Vermont Law Schools 6.10.2022
