Environmental Impact Assessment Reports
Environmental impact assessment reports evaluate the environmental implications of actions by federal, state, and other governmental agencies. This research guide lists 1) resources covering federal and California environmental assessment laws and methodology and 2) resources for locating environmental assessment reports in the HSU Library, in other libraries and institutions, and on the Internet. For further assistance please contact Robert Sathrum, Natural Resources Librarian.
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Federal Environmental Impact Assessement Reports
Federal requirements for assessing the environmental impact of federal projects date from 1970 with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. NEPA requires every federal agency responsible for a project funded with federal funds to assess the project's potential impact on the environment. A flow chart of the federal process is available as well as a brief Overview of NEPA Requirements.
As an initial step in the environmental review process an Environmental Assessment may be prepared that determines whether an full environmental review is needed or just a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) which indicates that there will be no adverse effects on the environment. If the initial review determines that there will be a significant impact a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is prepared and made available to the public and other agencies for review and comment. This is subsequently followed by a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The final EIS does not supercede the draft EIS because the final version typically cites information included in the draft. The final step in the process is the filing of a Record of Decision (ROD).
Since 1970 more than 25,000 federal environmental impact statements have been prepared with approximately 500 draft and final EISs completed annually. See Environmental Impact Statements Filed 1970-2006 for yearly totals and Calendar Year 2006 Filed EISs for a breakdown by federal agency.
Guides to Federal Assessment Laws and Methodology
- Citizen's Guide to the NEPA: having your voice heard (US Council on Environmental Quality) 2007
- Environmental Impact Statement Checklist (US Department of Energy) 1997
- Effective Environmental Assessments: how to manage and prepare NEPA EAs (Eccleston) 2001 (TD 194.65 E35 2001)
- Environmental Impact Statement Process and Environmental Law (Moore) 2000 (ref TD 194.55 M66 2000)
- Environmental Impact Statements: a comprehensive guide to project and strategic planning (Eccleston) 2000 (TD 194.55 E28 2000)
- Environmental Impact Statements: a practical guide for agencies, citizens, and consultants (Kreske) 1996 (TD 194.55 K74 1996)
- FedCenter: NEPA Federal site on environmental compliance that contains links to sites that provide guidance, policies, tools and examples for implementation of NEPA.
- How to Write Quality EISs and EAs (Freeman) 1998 (TD 194.5 F74 1998)
- The National Environmental Policy Act: Background and Implementation (Luther) 2007
- NEPA Book: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (Bass, Herson & Bogdan) 2001 (ref KF 3775 B37 2001)
- NEPA Desk Guide (General Services Administration) 1999
- NEPA Planning Process: A Comprehensive Guide with Emphasis on Efficiency (Eccleston) 1999 (GF 180 E33 1999)
- NEPA's Forty Most Asked Questions (US Council on Environmental Quality)
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (US Environmental Protection Agency)
NEPANet (U.S.Council on Environmental Quality) is the official NEPA site containing information on statutes, regulations, guidelines, and agency implementing procedures.
Other publications and web sites that contain information on federal assessment laws and methology include:
- Search the HSU Library Catalog.
The catalog indexes federal environmental impact assessment reports located
in the Humboldt Room and, since April 1998, reports in the U.S. Government
Documents Collection. There are currently over 750 EISs,150 EAs and 30 FONSIs
listed in the catalog. To search the catalog you can:
- Use the Keyword search option to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking for, e.g. entering <"environmental impact statement"> will retrieve all EISs listed in the catalog.
- Use the Keyword search option to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking for along with a subject keyword, e.g. entering <"environmental assessment" road> will retrive all environmental impact assesssment reports dealing with roads that are listed in the catalog.
- Use the Subject search option to enter one of the following suggested subjects along with the subdivision environmental aspects, e.g.,< airports environmental aspects>. Most environmental impact assessment reports are cataloged using a subject along with the subdivision environmental aspects. However, not all reports indexed using environmental aspects are environmental impact assesssment reports.
airports
all terrain vehicles
aluminum plants
apartment houses
atomic power plants
city planning
coal mines and mining
dams
forest roads
highway planning
land use
national parks and reserves
offshore gas industry
offshore oil industry
oil and gas leases
power plants
prisons
recreational areas
regional planning
road construction
sewage disposal
shopping malls
waste disposal
wilderness areas
- Search the U.S. Government Publications Monthly Catalog. This
index can be used to identify federal environmental impact assessment reports
published between 1976 and the present that are available in the HSU Library.
It also includes reports from 1976 to the present that were not received
locally on depository. Use one or more of the following techniques:
- Use the Keyword Title search option to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking , e.g., entering <environmental impact statement> will retrieve over 3,500 EISs.
- Use the Keyword Title search option to to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking for along with a subject keyword, e.g., <environmental impact statement decommissioning>.
- Use the Keyword Subject search option to search the subdivision environmental aspects under the same subject headings listed under HSU Library Catalog above.
Once you have retrieved a record click the Holdings button to determine if the HSU Library has the report in its collection.
- Browse the U.S. Documents Collection. You can use the SuDocs
classification system to browse for environmental impact assessment
reports prepared by various federal agencies. Following are some suggested
SuDocs classification areas to browse for both print reports filed on bookshelves
and microfiche reports filed in microfiche cabinets:
A 13.92 & A 13.92/2 Forest Service A 57.65 & A 57.65/2 Natural Resources Conservation Service D 103.62 Army Corps of Engineers D 301.92 Air Force C 55.328 National Marine Fisheries Service C 55.34 & C 55.34/2 National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration E 1.20 Department of Energy E 2.11 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission I 1.98 Department of the Interior (includes Fish & Wildlife Service, Indian Affairs Bureau, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service) I 29.79/3 National Park Service I 49.113 US Fish & Wildlife Service I 53.59 Bureau of Land Management You can also look in the "U.S. Documents Shelflist" under these same classification numbers for a itemized list of print and microfiche reports received prior to 1998.
Most federal environmental impact assessment reports available in the HSU Library are received on federal depository and are located in the U.S. Government Documents Collection. Reports received on depository may be in paper, in microfiche or linked online to a fulltext document. In addition reports that focus on the local area are located in the Humboldt Room and are Library Use Only. Of the 500 federal EISs produced annually the HSU Library receives approximately 75 each year.
The following three options can be used to locate federal enviromental impact assessement reports (draft and final environmental impact statements, environmenal assessments, FONSIs and RODs) in the HSU Library:
Finding Federal Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in Other Libraries and Institutions
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Database (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Includes a weekly listing of the "Notices of Availability" of all EISs filed the previous week in the Federal Register and a searchable database of all EISs filed with EPA since 2004. One can also search the Federal Register for environmental impact assessment documents over a span of years. Use the "Advanced Search" feature to limit to the "Notices" section and then enter appropriate keywords in the search box, e.g., "environmental impact statement coal".
- EIS-Digest of Environmental Impact Statements (HSU users only) Indexes and provides detailed abstracts of environmental impact statements issued by federal agencies from 1985 to the present.
- USA.gov Official United States government index to federal websites. Currently searches over 30 million federal web pages. Search "environmental impact statement" combined with a subject keyword. May include online fulltext or only a notice of availability.
- Northwestern University Transportation Library (Northwestern University Library) This library contains over 19,000 EISs issued by federal agencies since 1969, representing 80% of all EISs published. See How to Search for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for search tips and how to request on interlibrary loan. This same EIS database is includes in Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Online.
- Obtaining Copies of Environmental Impact Statements (EPA) Offers guidance in how the general public can obtain copies of EISs.
The following sources can be used to identify federal environmental impact assessment reports. Once identified they can be requested on Interlibrary Loan from other libraries and take an average of nine calendar days to arrive.
Finding Federal Environmental Impact Assessment Reports On the Internet
- HSU Library Special Collections - Humboldt Room webpage Natural Resources - Agencies contains links to some environmental assessment fulltext documents.
- Digital NEPA Documents (US Council on Environmental Quality) Links to federal agency web sites that contain environmetal impact assessment reports in digital format.
- Internet Search Tools - Combine an assessment impact report keyword with a subject keyword, e.g., environmental impact statement redwood.
- Online EIR/EIS Documents (LUPIN) Contains links to some California fulltext EIRs and EISs issued between 1996 and 1998.
- Agency NEPA Websites (US Council on Environmental Quality) This is a partial list of agency NEPA compliance sites, some of which include links to online fulltext reports. The National Park Service web site, which is not on the list, provides fulltext access to current NPS NEPA documents.
- Current Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Weekly listing of the Notices of Availability of all EISs filed the previous week in the Federal Register. Includes some links to online fulltext availability.
- USA.gov - Some of the links found through this Internet search engine for government web sites are to fulltext environmental impact assessment documents.
- Science.gov - Contains the fulltext of approximately 2,000 EISs from the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, EPA, and NASA among the 1,000,000 technical reports included in the database.
- Southern Oregon Digital Archives: Bioregion Collection (Southern Oregon University Library) Collection of online fulltext documents from federal and state agencies that relate to the Southern Oregon Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion. Includes over 250 federal EISs and environment assessments. Search by author, title, agency, subject or keyword.
California Environmental Impact Assessement Reports
California requirements for assessing the environmental impact of projects date from 1970 with the enactment of the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA requires that state and local agencies consider the environmental impact of their decisions when approving a public or private project. A flow chart of the California process is available.
As an initial step in the process an Initial Study may be prepared that determines whether an full environmental review is needed or just a Negative Declaration which indicates that there will be no adverse effects on the environment. If the initial report determines that there will be a significant impact a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is prepared and made available to the public and other agencies for review and comment. This is subsequently followed by a Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The final EIR does not supercede the draft EIR because the final version typically cites information included in the draft. The final step in the process is the filing of a Notice of Determination (NOD).
There are approximately 500 environmental impact reports (EIRs) prepared annually under the California Environmental Quality Act. Environmental Document Filings with the State Clearinghouse lists the number of reports that have been filed annually since 1999.
Guides to California Assessement Laws and Methodology
- California Environmental and Natural Resources Law Handbook (Monahan) 2004 (ref KFC 610 A45 C35) Guide to the statutes, regulations, court decisions, and agency policies that make up California's environmental regulatory schema. Includes section on CEQA.
- CEQA Deskbook: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (Bass, Herson, & Bogdan) 1999 (ref KFC 610 S83 1999)
- CEQA and Environmental Assessment (California. Office of Planning and Research) Contains an annotated bibliography of print and online sources on California environmental assessment.
- CEQA
Initial Study Checklist (California Association of Environmental
Professionals)
- Citizen's Guide to the California Environmental Quality Act (Yeates) 1997 (ref KFC 610 Y4 1997)
- Everyday Heroes Protect the Air We Breathe, the Water We Drink, and Natural Areas We Prize: thirty-five years of the California Environmental Quality Act (Planning and Conservation League) 2005. Compilation of over 75 CEQA success stories.
- Guide to CEQA: California Environmental Quality Act (Remy, Thomas, Moose, & Manley) 2007 (ref KFC 610 G85 2007)
- State Clearinghouse Handbook (California Office of Planning and Research. State Clearinghouse) A technical guide for lead and responsible agencies, project proponents, and the public on clearinghouse procedures for preparing and reviewing environmental documents.
CEQA: the California Environmental Quality Act (CERES) is the official CEQA site that includes current CEQA statutes, legislative history, guidelines, case law, and other general reference material.
Other publications and web sites that contain information on California assessment
laws and methology include:
Finding California Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in the HSU Library
- Search the HSU Library Catalog.
Almost all California environmental impact assessment reports available
in the HSU Library are indexed in the catalog. There currently are 150 EIRs,
30 Initial Studies, and 20 Negative Declarations listed in the catalog.
To search the catalog you can:
- Use the Keyword search option to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking , e.g., entering <"environmental impact report"> will retrieve all 150 EIRs.
- Use the Keyword search option to enter the keyword phrase for the type of assessment report you are looking for along with a subject keyword, e.g. entering <"environmental impact report" wastewater> will retrive all EIRs dealing with wastewater that are listed in the catalog.
- Use the Subject search option to search the subdivision environmental
aspects under the same subject headings listed
in federal section above. The same cataloging rules apply for California
reports.
- Consult the Index of Environmental Impact Reports Prepared in Humboldt
County, CA (TD 194.5 I53 HumCo Collection). This work contains a
comprehensive list of EIRs prepared in Humboldt County from 1970 to 1995
and lists local libraries and agencies that have copies available.
- Look in the Humboldt County Pamphlet Collection in the Humboldt Room where some Negative Declarations are filed under Environmental Impact Reports - Negative Declarations.
Most California environmental impact assessement reports available in the HSU Library are locally focused, are located in the Humboldt Room and are Library Use Only. In addition there are a few reports located in the California Documents Collection and in the general bookstacks. Of the 500 EIRs produced annually in California the HSU Library only acquires approximately seven reports each year.
The following options can be used to locate California enviromental impact assessement reports (draft and final environmental impact reports, initial studies, negative declarations and NODs) in the HSU Library:
Finding California Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in Other Libraries and Institutions
- CEQAnet Database (California Office of Planning and Research. State Clearinghouse) Contains key information for all California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents submitted to the State Clearinghouse for state review since 1990. The database provides summaries of Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), Negative Declarations, Environmental Impact Statements, and other types of CEQA and NEPA documents. The summaries include the project title, project location, lead agency name, contact information, and project description. CEQAnet does not provide the full text of any environmental documents. The bimonthly State Clearinghouse Newsletter provides a listing of all environmental documents, federal notices, and federal grant applications that have been submitted to the State Clearinghouse in past two week period.
- CSU Catalog Indexes over 3,400 environmental impact reports available in California State University libraries.
- Melvyl Indexes over 5,500 environmental impact reports available in University of California libraries and the California State Library.
- WorldCat (HSU users only) Includes over 6,500 environmental impact reports found in California libraries.
Reports located in other sources can be requested on Interlibrary Loan from other libraries and take an average of nine calendar day to arrive.
Finding California Environmental Impact Assessment Reports On the Internet
- HSU Library Special Collections - Humboldt Room Natural Resources - Agencies webpage contains links to some environmental assessment fulltext documents.
- HSU Library Government Documents Public Notices webpage includes links to local and state enviornmental assessment fulltext documents.
- Internet Search Tools - Combine an assessment report keyword with a subject keyword, e.g., environmental impact report redwood.
- Online EIR/EIS Documents (LUPIN) Contains links to some California fulltext EIRs and EISs issued between 1996 and 1998.
Other Environmental Impact Assessment Reports
Guides to Other Assessment Laws and Methodology
- Environmental Handbook - Documentation on Monitoring and Evaluating Environmental Impacts (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development)
- Environmental Assessment Resource Guide (Gurganus and Luecht) 1993. Generic software program developed by the US Environmetal Protection Agency that is designed to assist one in performing environmental assessments of virtually any type of project. Topics covered include scoping, generation of alternatives, impact identification and analysis, mitigation, decision making and post-decision analysis.
- Key Citations (International Association for Impact Assessment) Lists books and journal articles, journals, and web sites that provide an introduction to various impact assessment areas.
- Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment Best Practice (International Association for Impact Assessment)
- UNEP Environmental Impact Assessment Training Resource Manual (United Nations Environment Program) 2002