Equity Actions
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has committed to the following actions as part of our Equity Action Plan. These represent a snapshot of some of the actions the Department is taking to advance equity. Visit our Equity Updates page for an overview of recent accomplishments.
USDOT ACTIONS TO ADVANCE EQUITY
| Focus Area | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Wealth Creation | Reinforce small business requirements in the FAA acquisition governance process | December 2021 |
| Wealth Creation | Launch USDOT-wide procurement dashboard to drive accountability for small and disadvantaged business goals | January 2022 |
| Wealth Creation | Initiate rulemaking to improve and reduce burdens associated with the DBE and Airport Concession DBE program | April 2022 |
| Wealth Creation | Provide increased internal trainings regarding recent acquisition policy updates and incorporate into performance standards for program leaders | Ongoing |
| Wealth Creation | Promote and provide technical assistance to small disadvantaged businesses | Ongoing |
| Power of Community | Reinvigorate USDOT’s programmatic enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act | June 2021 |
| Power of Community | Conduct assessment of MPO and State DOT inclusion of quantitative equity screenings and meaningful and representative public participation in STIPs and TIPs | June 2022 |
| Power of Community | Issue guidance for USDOT funding recipients to meet the requirements of meaningful public participation under Title VI, NEPA, and other existing requirements, with accompanying best practices and trainings | March 2023 |
| Power of Community | Establish Department-wide monitoring of USDOT funding recipient compliance with their meaningful public participation obligations | September 2023 |
| Interventions | Publish toolkit for planning and funding rural and Tribal electric mobility infrastructure | January 2022 |
| Interventions | Launch federal partnerships with key agencies making place-based investments | April 2022 |
| Interventions | Re-launch Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity to provide independent advice on USDOT equity programs | May 2022 |
| Interventions | Pilot a new approach that will reduce administrative burden for applicants considering applying for multiple discretionary grant programs | June 2022 |
| Interventions | Launch a national equity accelerator to provide hands-on support to underserved and overburdened communities accessing USDOT funds | December 2022 |
| Interventions | Issue a call for projects for place-based initiatives that are co-designed with communities most impacted by poor access and climate change | April 2023 |
| Expanding Access | Introduce racial equity and barriers to opportunity as a consideration for awarding discretionary grants | February 2021 |
| Expanding Access | Require discretionary grant projects to report on benefits (including expanded access) to disadvantaged communities | January 2022 |
| Expanding Access | Pilot transportation cost burden measure using existing data sources to screen transportation projects for funding | December 2023 |
| Expanding Access | Major completion of the National Transit Map to improve data on transit access, system quality, and performance | December 2024 |
| Expanding Access | Develop new data collection focused on capturing individual and household cost, travel time, trips not taken, accessibility, and access to key resources across different demographic groups | December 2026 |
| Expanding Access | Launch enhanced transportation cost burden measure (incorporating new data sources) as part of a transportation disadvantage index | December 2027 |
Have an idea to help advance transportation equity? Want to partner on one of these actions? Email us at equity@dot.gov to share your thoughts.
Interested in hearing the latest on our equity work?
Last updated: Thursday, April 14, 2022