environmental impact statement
Federal-level environmental impact statements are written by any federal agency on its own behalf or on behalf of a state, local, or private concern that it regulates or funds. Because of the complexity of the environment and the many ways any one project might impinge upon it, the authors of an environmental impact statement usually represent many areas of expertise and may include biologists, sociologists, economists, and engineers. The types of projects covered include dredging, highway or dam construction, and real estate development. A draft statement is submitted to concerned government agencies, especially the Environmental Protection Agency, and to the public for consideration. In some cases litigation arises from environmental groups who want to block a project or from parties who feel that the assessment overstates the risks to the environment to the detriment of economic interests.
See R. K. Jain, L. V. Urban, and G. S. Stacey,
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