Hazard & Disaster Risk - Pollution (Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Indicator)

<div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Definition</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator identifies the vulnerability of communities to impacts of hazards and other community-level stressors, which can include natural or human-caused disasters. It prioritizes areas based on environmental and socioeconomic burdens. Pixels can take the following values:</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><ul><li>1 – Lower risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset</li><li>2 – Lower risk of air or water pollution, natural asset</li><li>3 – Medium risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset</li><li>4 – Medium risk of air or water pollution, natural asset</li><li>5 – Higher risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset</li><li>6 – Higher risk of air or water pollution, natural asset</li></ul></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Selection</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator was chosen as a targetable, important feature of the MLI goals that will be used to track conditions over time and prioritize areas for conservation. Indicators were defined through elicitation and prioritization exercises with federal and state participants. Criteria for the indicators includes 1) actionable, 2) measurable, 3) relevant to multiple groups across the region, and/or 4) representative of other social and/or environmental values.<br />&nbsp;</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Input Data &amp; Mapping Steps</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator originates from the EPA Cumulative Respiratory Risk from Air Toxins and EPA Total Permitted Discharges. To create this layer, MLI partners, members, and staff completed the following mapping steps: projected all input data to NAD83 (2011) UTM Zone 15N, converted polygon input data layers to 30m rasters, mosaicked the air toxins and permitted discharges rasters into a single layer representing overall pollution risk, and emphasized natural assets within the most vulnerable areas for a raster with the following values: 1 – Lower risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset, 2 – Lower risk of air or water pollution, natural asset, 3 – Medium risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset, 4 – Medium risk of air or water pollution, natural asset, 5 – Higher risk of air or water pollution, not a natural asset, and 6 – Higher risk of air or water pollution, natural asset.<span style='background-color:rgb(255,255,255); color:rgb(74,74,74); font-family:inherit; font-size:16px;'><span style='border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; display:inline !important; float:none; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'> Finally, we removed highly altered areas using our Highly Altered Areas Mask.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>&nbsp;</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>For full mapping details, please refer to the&nbsp;<a style='border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(0, 97, 155); font-family:inherit; line-height:1.5; text-decoration:none;' target='_blank' href='https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/e983a4ff0f6d475cb9336fba1c1fbbaa/data' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint Development Process</a>. For a complete download of all Blueprint input and output data, visit the&nbsp;<a style='border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(0, 97, 155); font-family:inherit; line-height:1.5; text-decoration:none;' target='_blank' href='https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/69851105b66b018dbd961c58' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Data Download.</a></div>