Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
An initial step in EIS planning should be the development of a draft outline
to serve as a road map for the preparers. The outline should be developed in
coordination with key stakeholders and periodically reviewed as more and
new information on the project, environmental resources, and stakeholder
concerns become available. As a starting point the CEQ Regulations include
a recommended EIS format with the following substantive sections:
r A cover sheet that identifies the agency preparing the document,
agency contact information, approvals, etc.
r Summary of the EIS contents
r Purpose and need for action
r Alternatives including the proposed action and the no-action alternative
r Affected environment (sometimes termed existing conditions)
r Environmental consequences or impacts
r List of preparers
r Appendices
Agencies have been reluctant to vary from the specific EIS format in the
CEQ Regulations, primarily because strict adherence to CEQ's recommen-
dations minimizes the scope of a legal/procedural challenge to an EIS.
The CEQ's format has been used and accepted thousands of times; thus an
agency is on “safe ground” if they strictly follow the format. However, this
can sometimes make the document cumbersome and difficult for stakehold-
ers to follow. As long as the required CEQ Regulations and NEPA require-
ments are satisfied, the format can be adapted for specific aspects of the
project, program or plans addressed in the EIS. A project-specific format can
be developed to focus on the key issues and highlight the environmental
trade-offs and decisions to be made. This approach can greatly enhance the
quality, readability, and usefulness of the EIS. If an original and project-spe-
cific format is developed, it should be compared with NEPA requirements
and the CEQ Regulations (including their recommended format) to make
sure every topic is covered somewhere in the document and if material has
not been included, the EIS must document why it was not covered.
Another action critical to preparation of a successful EIS that should be
started early in the process is the preparation of an environmental impact
analysis plan and schedule (see Section 9.3.2). This plan and schedule lay
out the EIA preparation efforts along a time line, identifying decision points
and efforts on the critical path to EIS completion. This plan and schedule
show where you are going and when you want to get there. Getting to the
end successfully and on time are little more than random chance if you don't
know where you are going before you start the EIS preparation journey.
The  environmental impact analysis plan and schedule are updated fre-
quently and used throughout the EIS preparation to measure progress and
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