The EIS Book Managing and Preparing Environmental Impact Statements

Poor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) practice leads to poorly planned projects, and ultimately poor environmental protection. Written by recognized NEPA authority Charles H. Eccleston, The EIS Book: Managing and Preparing Environmental Impact Statements supplies focused direction on preparing an EIS, highlighting best professional practices (BBP) and lessons learned from case law that provide valuable direction for preparing legally defensible documents. The book is not about preparing bigger or more complicated EISs—but better ones. Beginning with fundamental topics and advancing into successively more advanced subjects, Eccleston describes EIS preparation as a comprehensive framework for planning future actions, rather than merely a document preparation procedure. He supplies direction for preparing defensible analyses that facilitate well-planned projects and improved decision-making. Discusses EIS document requirements including the Council of Environmental Quality’s NEPA regulations and related guidelines, EPA guidance and requirements, presidential executive orders, and case law Covers how to perform a legally sufficient cumulative impact assessment and how to evaluate greenhouse emissions and climate change Details a step-by-step approach for navigating the entire EIS process that includes all pertinent process requirements from issuing the notice of intent, through public scoping, to issuing the final record of decision (ROD) Includes analytical requirements for preparing the EIS analysis and guidance for performing various types of analyses Provides tools, techniques, and best professional practices for preparing the EIS and performing the analysis Presents a case study that reinforces key EIS regulatory requirements, and integrates lessons learned from this case study with appropriate regulatory requirements The book gives readers a firm grasp of the process for preparing an EIS, including all key regulatory requirements that a legally sufficient EIS document must satisfy. No other book synthesizes all such requirements and guidance into a single source for easy and rapid access.

Scientific Shams - How Not to Prepare an EISA Human and Environmental Disaster of Epic ProportionsCalvert Cliffs – NEPA’s First Major LawsuitNRC’S Flawed EIS ProcessMismanagement Threatens SocietyWhen Nuclear Power and Black SwansOverview of NEPA and the EIS ProcessThe Development of NEPA and it’s EIS RequirementThe NEPA StatuteIntroduction to the EIS ProcessSliding Scale, Rule of Reason, and NomenclaturePreliminaries and Pre-ScopingInitiating the EIS ProcessPre-ScopingEIS Management ToolsPreparing the Environmental Impact StatementGeneral EIS Direction and ConceptsIssuing the Notice of IntentThe Formal Scoping ProcessConsultation and Identifying Environmental Regulatory RequirementsPreparing the Draft EISFiling the DEIS with the EPACirculating the Draft EIS for Public CommentPreparing the Final EISThe Record of Decision Mitigation, Post-EIS Monitoring, and EnforcementReferralsSupplemental EISsLegislative EISsProgrammatic EISsPerforming the EIS AnalysisSix-Step Technique for Analyzing ImpactsImpact Assessment MethodologiesInvestigating and Describing the "Affected Environment" and "Alternatives"Assessing Direct and Indirect Impacts, and SignificancePerforming a Health Impact Assessment in an EISPerforming the Cumulative Impact AssessmentPerforming a Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change AssessmentPerforming an Accident Analyses in an EISWriting the Environmental Impact StatementRequirement for Writing the Notice of IntentGeneral Requirements for Writing the EISTechniques and Hints for Writing the EISPage Limits and Size of the EISThe EIS Content and FormatThe Record of DecisionClosing ThoughtsHow to Avoid the Pitfalls of Flawed Planning and Decision-MakingCapstone ProblemsGlossaryAppendices

Charles H. Eccleston

Written by a leading national expert, Charles H. Eccleston, this book provides detailed direction for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), highlighting best professional practices (BBP), and lessons learned from case law that provide valuable direction for preparing legally defensible analyses. This book is not about preparing bigger or more complicated EISs—but better ones. Beginning with fundamental topics and advancing into advanced subjects, Eccleston describes EIS preparation as a comprehensive framework for planning future actions, rather than merely a document preparation process.