The United States Experience with Environmental Impact Assessment

1982 ◽  
Vol 18 (68) ◽  
pp. 39-44
Author(s):  
Martha M. Folk
1969 ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Sandra K. McCallum

This article examines the planning tool known as environmental impact assess ment. This tool is decision-making model which attempts to integrate en vironmental considerations into each stage of the planning process together with the traditional concerns of economics and technology in order to identify secon dary and cumulative impacts and to weigh environmental effects. The success of an assessment process depends on the capability of the chosen institutional arrangements to achieve the desired goal. The proposed federal procedure is ex amined and several weaknesses identified. One is the absence of legislative measures to support the process. The United States National Environmental Policy Act provides model. This statute is discussed with view to ascertaining whether like legislation in Canada would produce like result. The conclusion reached is that differences between Parliamentary and Congressional systems suggest that in Canada more appropriate course would be to adopt legislative measures which strengthen and improve the existing functions of government. Such course would better serve the goal of environmental impact assessment than attempts to transplant concepts which are ill fitted and insensitive to the parliamentary system.


2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Eckerd

Despite more than 40 years of experience with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the United States, little is known about who participates, how they participate, and whether agencies are responsive. This study explores the role of public participation in the American federal government EIA context, focusing on the different languages used by residents and administrators. Residents of affected geographic areas use nontechnical language to address concern over individual impacts, whereas administrators use technical language about aggregate impacts and focus on justification of decisions, rather than altering decisions based on public feedback.


2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 1250022 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANN KÖPPEL ◽  
GESA GEIßLER ◽  
JENNIFER HELFRICH ◽  
JESSICA REISERT

November 2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the 20th anniversary of its implementation in Germany via the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (EIAA) in 1990. Reflecting back to the original role model for these pieces of legisiation, the 1969 US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can bring some interesting differences to light. Four decades of experience from the more mature US EIA system may hold some important lessons for Germany's younger EIAA. While an outright comparison is impossible at this present time, this article aims to contribute a comparative perspective to show the current status of the original US model, NEPA, and the differences in development and practice to Germany's younger EIAA.


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