High Speed Rail has negatively impacted Wasco. 

“each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations”, Executive Order 12898, signed by the President on February 11, 1994, and still in effect today.

The guiding Environmental Justice principles followed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (includes Federal Railroad Administration) and the California High-Speed Rail Authority are:

• To avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority populations and low-income populations.
• To ensure the full and fair participation of all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process.
• To prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.

Learn about HSR’s impact, poor planning, and failed promised in Wasco here.