Environmental Impact Statement - Layout

Layout

An EIS typically has four sections:

• An Introduction including a statement of the Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action.
• A description of the Affected Environment.
• A Range of Alternatives to the proposed action. Alternatives are considered the "heart" of the EIS.
• An analysis of the environmental impacts of each of the possible alternatives. This section covers topics such as:

• Impacts to threatened or endangered species
• Air and water quality impacts
• Impacts to historic and cultural sites, (particularly sites of significant importance to Native American tribes)
• Social and Economic impacts to local communities
• Cost analysis for each alternative, including costs to mitigate expected impacts, to determine if the proposed action is a prudent use of taxpayer dollars

While not required in the EIS, the following subjects may be included as part of the EIS or as separate documents based on agency policy.

• Financial Plan for the proposed action identifying the sources of secured funding for the action. For example, the Federal Highway Administration has started requiring states to include a financial plan showing that funding has been secured for major highway projects before it will approve an EIS and issue a Record of Decision.
• An Environmental Mitigation Plan is often requested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if substantial environmental impacts are expected from the preferred alternative.
• Additional documentation to comply with state and local environmental policy laws and secure required federal, state, and local permits before the action can proceed.

Every EIS is required to analyze a No Action Alternative, in addition to the range of alternatives presented for study. The No Action Alternative identifies the expected environmental impacts in the future if existing conditions were left as is with no action taken by the lead agency. Analysis of the No Action Alternative is used to establish a baseline upon which to compare the proposed "Action" alternatives.