Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of understanding the steps of implanting a plan such as a highway which will affect various departments depending on the project. DOT would be involved in such project with air pollution being involved specific to criteria pollutants and hazardous pollutants. This offsetting the CAA specific to any form of limitation being exceeded such as ozone at a NAAQS level of 75 ppb. grease removal chicago il beign another. SID (Strategic Infrastructure Development) is a development specific to a state/region which in Arizona would be region 9 for EPA. Similarly, to a CBA/TEA. The UNEP classifies the EIA to identify the environmental, social, and economic impacts on a project before there is any decision making. The steps are screening – scoping – assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives – reporting the environmental impact assessment – review of the environmental impact statement – decision making – monitoring, compliance, enforcement, and environmental auditing. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a comprehensive process of determining the environmental consequences of proposed ideas from a body.
This is applied to a whole sector or geographical place however it doesn’t replace the environmental impact assessment as this is essential to environmental laws. NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) is a federal proposal to act toward an environmental problem if provided. There are three steps to this review:
– Categorical exclusion determination (CATEX)
– Environmental Assessment/Finding of no significant impact (EA/Fonsi)
– Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
The CATEX helps determine if there should be federal action given there is no harm to the human environment depending on the environmental analysis. The 2nd option of the environmental assessment decides to make a federal action based on the environmental effects however the CATEX is a not jurisdictional option. The EA will provide the proposal, alternatives, environmental impact, agencies, people, etc. The FONSI has a document presenting the reasons to follow up on the action based on environmental impact if there is no significant impact. Lastly, the EIS prepares the statement if there a human environment being affected negatively. This is the more detailed requirement for the state body, tribe body, or municipal body. The summary will include the notice of intent, the public review/comment for a minimum of 45 days, final EIS as it is published, and ROD (Record of Decision). What is provided in an EIS: the cover sheet, summary, table of contents, purpose and need statement, alternatives, affected environment, environmental problems, preparers, agencies, people, organizations, index, and appendices. The whole ordeal is presented more in a detailed format in 40 CFR Part 1502. There are supplementations to the EIS when there are changes to the environmental difficulty alongside information proving helpful such as a boring hole being affected with a new contaminant like TCE which provides harmful to the drinking water standards. This being a problem among groundwater users especially so in the southwest of the United States of America. In summary, the EIS is a document prepared by many organizations to ensure human health is not affected.
