Eccleston Environmental Impact Assessment

A Guide to Best Professional Practices
1. Auflage 2017
ISBN: 978-1-138-07415-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

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Beschreibung

Under the best of circumstances, preparing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) can be a complex and challenging task. Experience indicates that the scope and quality of such analyses varies widely throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. Written to help practitioners and decision-makers apply best professional practices in the development of EIAs, Environmental Impact Assessment: A Guide to Best Professional Practices provides an in depth, yet practical direction for developing a defensible analysis that meets best professional practices.
The book describes preparation of five distinct types of assessments:

Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA)
Preparing Greenhouse Emission Assessments
Preparing Risk Assessments and Accident Analyses
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Environmental Justice
The International Environmental Impact Assessment Process Guiding Principles

To date, there is significant variation and disagreement about how such analyses should be prepared. The author introduces best professional practices (BPP) for preparing such EIAs that is intended to meet decision-making and regulatory expectations. He supplies a comprehensive and balanced skill set of tools, techniques, concepts, principles, and practices for preparing these assessments. He also includes directions for developing a comprehensive Environmental Management Systems which can be used to monitor and implement final decisions for such analyses. While the book references the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), most of this guidance is generally applicable to any international EIA process consistent with NEPA.

With thorough coverage of all aspects of assessments, the book presents a theoretical introduction to the subject as well as practical guidance. It delivers state-of-the-art tools, techniques, and approaches for resolving EIA problems.

Autoren

Autoren

Eccleston, Charles H. (Environmental Consultant, USA)

Eccleston, Charles H.

Über den Autor

Eccleston, Charles H. (Environmental Consultant, USA)
Charles H. Eccleston is associated with the Nuclear Regulatory Agency and National Association of Environmental Professionals.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Cumulative impact assessmentDefinition of cumulative impactTypes of cumulative impactsThe scale problem: defining spatial and temporal boundariesDetermining the scoping of actions to evaluateA five-step procedure for accessing cumulative impactsManaging and performing a cumulative impact analysisResolving Eccleston’s cumulative impact paradoxPreparing NEPA programmatic analyses and tieringLitigation and judicial reviewEndnotesPreparing greenhouse emission assessments: A synopsis of guidance and best professional practicesBrief summary of the science behind greenhouse warmingSummary of key NEPA court decisions involving climate changeRegulatory direction on considering greenhouse emissionsNEPA and GHG impacts considerationsCriteria useful in determining the need to evaluateBest professional practices for performing GHG assessmentsMethod for evaluating climate change impactsConsidering cumulative GHG impactsThe cumulative impact paradoxComparative summary of the SDP processSummaryEndnotesPreparing risk assessments and accident analysesDefinitions of riskRisk assessmentRisk in decision makingRisk communicationsAccident analysesEndnotesSocial impact assessment and environmental justiceDefining SIAProblems, authority, and conflicts in SIAPreparing the SIAEnvironmental justiceSummaryEndnotesThe international environmental impact assessment processComparison of NEPA with other EIA processesProgrammatic and strategicGuidance for preparing programmatic NEPA assessmentsProblems and limitationsEndnotesEnvironmental management systemsThe ISO 14000 standardsThe environmental management systemThe complementary benefits of integrating sustainability with a consolidated EIA/EMSConstructing an integrated EIA/EMS/sustainable development processSummaryEndnotesAcronym ListIndex

Zielgruppe

Professionals in government, consulting, and the private sector; national and international agency decision makers, program and project planners, environmental scientists and analysts, project engineers, regulators, lawyers, and project advisories; professors and university students.

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