Effective Environmental Assessments

Although upwards of 50,000 Environmental Assessments (EA) are prepared annually, the focus of the National Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA) Regulations is clearly on defining requirements for preparing environmental impact statements. Surprisingly, until now, there has been no authoritative and comprehensive guide on how to prepare Environmental As

Although upwards of 50,000 Environmental Assessments (EA) are prepared annually, the focus of the National Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA) Regulations is clearly on defining requirements for preparing environmental impact statements. Surprisingly, until now, there has been no authoritative and comprehensive guide on how to prepare Environmental Assessments (EAs). Effective Environmental Assessments: How to Manage and Prepare NEPA EAs fills that gap. Authored by one of the nations leading experts, and recipient of the President's Award for Outstanding Performance by the National Association of Environmental Professionals, the book provides you with de facto direction and best professionals standards for preparing publicly defensible EAs. The result is an indispensable source of practical information. No other book available come close to providing the wealth of information provided in Effective Environmental Assessments: How to Manage and Prepare NEPA EAs.

As environmental challenges grow larger in scale and implications, it is increasingly important to apply the best scientific knowledge in the decisionmaking process. Editors Farrell and Jäger present environmental assessments as the bridge between the expert knowledge of scientists and engineers on the one hand and decisionmakers on the other. When done well, assessments have a positive impact on public policy, the strategic decisions of private firms, and, ultimately, the quality of life for many people. This book is the result of an international, interdisciplinary research project to analyze past environmental assessments and understand how their design influenced their effectiveness in bringing scientific evidence and insight into the decisionmaking process. The case studies in the book feature a wide range of regional and global risks, including ozone depletion, transboundary air pollution, and climate change. Assessments of Regional and Global Environmental Risks offers several important contributions. It provides a clear account of the choices faced in the design of environmental assessments and a clear description of the lessons learned from past assessments. It illustrates why assessments are social processes, not simply reports. And, while they identify no universal, one-size-fits-all design, the authors find that, to be effective, environmental assessments must be viewed by those who produce and use them as being salient; credible in their scientific support; and legitimate, or fair in design and execution.

Although upwards of 50,000 Environmental Assessments (EA) are prepared annually, the focus of the National Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA) Regulations is clearly on defining requirements for preparing environmental impact statements. Surprisingly, until now, there has been no authoritative and comprehensive guide on how to prepare Environmental Assessments (EAs). Preparing NEPA Environmental Assessments: A Users Guide to Best Professional Practices fills that gap. Authored by one of the nations leading experts, and recipient of the President's Award for Outstanding Performance by the National.

Lecture Notes from the year 2006 in the subject Environmental Sciences, 70 entries in the bibliography, language: English, comment: Manuskript zu einem Seminar für internationale Meereskundler zum Thema Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung (UVP), abstract: The concept of sustainable development was introduced in the early 1980's; it is seen as the key to economic, social and even cultural survival. Preventive environmental protection should be the guideline in the planning of projects. Environmental management starts at the level of programmes and polices, continues with plans and decisions for proposals and needs control and monitoring during the operation period. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an integral part of the planning process; it is incorporated into existing legal systems and administrative procedures. Responsible for a successful EIA are: Screening, scoping, public participation, preparation of EIA-document and decision. The EIA-document contents: Description of project, outline of alternatives, description of the environment, description of environmental impacts, description of mitigating factors, difficulties compiling information and a nontechnical summary. Effective environmental management depends on reproducible environmental assessment.

The book is written to promote strong and effective environmental impact assessment (EIA) implementation globally, creating awareness on the use of EIA as a tool for decision making on project execution and development actions. The book covers substantive and contemporary issues involved in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), highlighting key concepts, methodologies, practical approaches to effective EIA for development projects/actions in line with regulatory requirements and global best practices The intent of the book is to provide the missing link on the use of EIA as tool for environmental management thereby raising the awareness on actions to preventing environmental pollution and degradation, global warming and other contemporary environmental issues It is written to provide basic guidance that simplifies the methodologies of environmental assessment including the use of GIS technology presenting the value of EIA as policy and management tool for both planning and decision making The book provides the template for quality EIA development and application for environment-lovers across the globe thereby promoting the achievement of the principles of sustainable development. The book will prove to be a useful reference on environmental management to students of environmental studies, teachers, researchers and practitioners as it offers basic theoretical knowledge and practical applications needed to promoting projects' sound environmental management. The book is divided into Eight Chapters. Chapter one provides background information on EIA including global historical background on the evolution of EIA studies and environmental disasters to buttress the connection between Environmental studies, safety and environmental pollution Chapter Two - gives information on the purpose scope and objectives of EIA. Chapter Three - provides the EIA process in a stepwise manner. Chapter Four - Gives detailed description on methodologies for field data gathering, laboratory analysis and data interpretation. Chapter Five- Provides standard and appropriate methodologies for identification, assessment and prediction of project impacts. Chapter Six - Provides basic guidance on the cost-effective measures which are useful in ameliorating environmental and socio-economic impacts of project activities. Chapter Seven - Presents Environmental Management Plan (EMP) as a necessary component of the EIA and its importance for monitoring the effectiveness of mitigation measures. Chapter Eight presents stakeholders' engagement as a delicate aspect of the EIA process which might ultimately define the quality of the study and project acceptability.

This book assesses the Department of Energy's Environmental Management Science Programâ€"a new program that funds basic research related to environmental cleanup of the department's weapons complex. The authoring committee was established to advise the department on the structure and management of the program. The book provides recommendations on long-term challenges and opportunities for the program.