Environmental Assessment

An Environmental Assessment (EA) is an assessment of the possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects.

Limitations
Although EIAs are widely used, a number of significant issues regarding the process and outcomes exist. These include: public confusion, questions regarding our ability to predict futures, the cost and environmental effectiveness of the process, and the role of the Internet in collaborative decision making.

By definition, the EIA process is an information policy not a substantive regulatory one such as a pollution law. Publics are often confused as to why, after participating (providing data, making comments), in an EIS analysis that concludes negative impacts will occur, a decision is made to proceed. Public information regarding who makes the decisions and how they will make them is typically lacking at the start of the EIA process.

Our ability to predict the future behavior of complex environmental systems is quite limited. In contrast, following the lead of pollution laws and permits, the impact forecasts and projections in most EISs include numerical tables, graphs, and maps that do not state (through error bars, ranges, map zones, etc.) the quality of information provided to publics and decision makers. Scientists, environmentalists, and decision makers have deep distrust of the artificially precise presentations of many EISs.

The actual physical and socio-economic outcomes which result from the EIA process are poorly understood. Most program evaluations have focused on document outputs, such as the contents of the EIS, rather than studying the actual short- and long-term outdoor environment. In particular, serious questions remain regarding the implementation and effectiveness of impact mitigation, such as creating new habitat, which is frequently called for in the EIS. Unlike substantive regulations, the EIA process typically does not include monitoring or enforcement.

EIA is an information process whose origins and decision framework preceded the Internet. Although there are many recent isolated examples of information technology use, the full potential of a transparent distance-collaborative decision process has not yet emerged. Access to data, interactive modeling, exchange of comments during the draft review, and adaptation of 3-D and motion visualization hold the promise of major transformaition.

Several limitations affect the accuracy and effectiveness of the EIS process:
 * Researchers and investigators do not have the luxury of an unlimited time for research.

The public does not realize that the process is only meant to gather information relevant to the decision. Even if the statement predicts negative impacts of the project, decision makers can still proceed with the proposal.
 * Citizens often misunderstand the environmental assessment process.