Overview and Initiating the Environmental Impact Analysis and Assessment - Environmental Impact Analysis: Process and Methods - page 155

very useful in the identification of alternatives that the environmental analy-
sis team and project proponent have overlooked or dismissed prematurely.
Also as discussed above, the development and description of classic and
other alternatives by the environmental analysis team can provide food for
thought and stimulate ideas by the stakeholders, producing new alternatives
or modification of previously identified approaches that can enrich the envi-
ronmental analysis, demonstrate trade-off, and produce a superior proposed
action.
As the environmental analysis progresses, it is important to have alterna-
tives that represent a clear choice regarding area, magnitude, and intensity
of impact. This sometimes necessitates developing new alternatives or modi-
fying existing ones to ensure there are true choices. Keeping in mind that
a primary purpose of environmental analysis is to provide environmental
input to decision making, the purpose is not achieved if the decision involves
only alternatives that have the same or similar impacts on the same environ-
mental resources. Thus there should be alternatives that have markedly dif-
ferent impacts on the primary environmental resources of concern identified
during scoping. Typically there is at least one alternative with minimal cost
and one with minimal overall impact. It is also common to include in the
environmental analysis an alternative with minimal impact on each of the
critical environmental resources of concern (e.g., wetlands, traffic, cultural
resources, and water quality). Similarly, identifying alternatives that achieve
the purpose and need to various degrees is a common approach to provid-
ing input to meaningful decisions. The objective of this approach is to sup-
port informed trade-offs among adverse impacts and benefits on the various
resources of concern.
Similar to providing a clear choice among alternatives, the vulnerabil-
ity of a resource can also be an important consideration in the identifica-
tion of alternatives. If scoping or the environmental analysis has identified
a particular vulnerable attribute (e.g., air quality or endangered species)
potentially at risk, alternatives can be included that minimize impact on
these resources. Typically, such an alternative will have higher costs or
more severe impacts on another environmental resource, thus illustrating
the trade-offs and providing meaningful and substantive choices for the
decision-making process.
In many situations, segmentation and simplification of the alternative
development and evaluation process can be important to a successful envi-
ronmental analysis. For complex projects, plans, and policies with many
components, complex and multifaceted alternatives that fully address every
aspect of the purpose and need can be unmanageable, thus defeating the
objective of incorporating stakeholder input and providing meaningful
choices for environmental trade-offs. In such situations, it is frequently nec-
essary to segment the project, plan, or policy into independent components
or at least aspects of the action with minimal dependence on other compo-
nents. This approach permits presentation of a simple, clear, and focused