One-stop, step-by-step guidance in the "how" of EIS project andstrategic planning This outstanding guide focuses on the Environmental ImpactStatement (EIS) not merely as a document to be prepared, but as aprocess and framework for the planning of programs and projects. Itpresents state-of-the-art strategies, tools, techniques, andmethodologies for managing EIS projects of any size and emphasizespractical approaches to problems that have traditionally hinderedNational Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance andpractice. This single, comprehensive volume synthesizes and describes allrelevant guidance and requirements that the EIS document mustsatisfy and illustrates relevant requirements with lessons fromcase law. Employing an incremental, building-block approach todescribe the entire EIS planning process in complete detail, thisindispensable handbook guides readers through each step of theprocess and provides: * Step-by-step guidance on using the Total Federal Planning (TFP)strategy to reduce time and effort and streamline the entire EISprocess * A complete EIS checklist to ensure that every item is accountedfor when preparing the statement * Tools from value engineering theory, TQM, and systems planningfor rendering the early decision-making process more efficient andeffective Professionals in government, consulting, and the private sector whoseek to master NEPA, beginners and experts alike, will findEnvironmental Impact Statements to be the most economical, helpful,and complete resource available anywhere.

Poor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) practice leads to poorly planned projects, and ultimately poor environmental protection. Written by recognized NEPA authority Charles H. Eccleston, The EIS Book: Managing and Preparing Environmental Impact Statements supplies focused direction on preparing an EIS, highlighting best professional practices (BBP) and lessons learned from case law that provide valuable direction for preparing legally defensible documents. The book is not about preparing bigger or more complicated EISs—but better ones. Beginning with fundamental topics and advancing into successively more advanced subjects, Eccleston describes EIS preparation as a comprehensive framework for planning future actions, rather than merely a document preparation procedure. He supplies direction for preparing defensible analyses that facilitate well-planned projects and improved decision-making. Discusses EIS document requirements including the Council of Environmental Quality’s NEPA regulations and related guidelines, EPA guidance and requirements, presidential executive orders, and case law Covers how to perform a legally sufficient cumulative impact assessment and how to evaluate greenhouse emissions and climate change Details a step-by-step approach for navigating the entire EIS process that includes all pertinent process requirements from issuing the notice of intent, through public scoping, to issuing the final record of decision (ROD) Includes analytical requirements for preparing the EIS analysis and guidance for performing various types of analyses Provides tools, techniques, and best professional practices for preparing the EIS and performing the analysis Presents a case study that reinforces key EIS regulatory requirements, and integrates lessons learned from this case study with appropriate regulatory requirements The book gives readers a firm grasp of the process for preparing an EIS, including all key regulatory requirements that a legally sufficient EIS document must satisfy. No other book synthesizes all such requirements and guidance into a single source for easy and rapid access.