Resources Help File

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that U.S. federal agencies or anyone receiving federal funding prepare detailed analyses of any of their actions that significantly affect the quality of the environment. Almost all developments, such as roads, houses and airports, have an impact on the environment. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are documents that help the government and the general public understand the effects of developments on the environment and to decide whether developments should go ahead. NEPA does not prohibit the federal government or its licensees/permittees from harming the environment, but requires that the prospective impacts be understood and disclosed in advance and may mandate various modifications and safeguards designed to protect the environment.

In recent years, EISs have looked increasingly at biodiversity. Most EIS documents will include a description of major habitats and a list of the plant and animal species present. They also pay particular attention to the presence of threatened species. Where the effects are considered significantly harmful to threatened species, an additional document, the Species Impact Statement (SIS), may also be prepared

CSA has produced EIS Digests since 1985 and as a result has indexed records and synopses of all the EIS full-text records included in this file. Currently, the full-text, including maps and SIS, is available for statements issued in and since 2003. By adding the full-text to these records, CSA has provided a single source where users can find the full-text of all EIS statements and be able to search using words from the full-text as well as unified and systematic indexing terms.

EIS Digests records from 1985 to date are also included in this collection to assure a complete search for any topic. EIS extracts the key issues from complex government-released environmental impact statements, converting massive documents into concise, readable abstracts. Each entry includes a clear description of the project, sections on positive impact and negative consequences, and legal mandates.