The Quality of Scientific Considerations in Decisions Affecting the Environment

摘要

The substantive quality of environmental impact statements (EIS) was examined to determine their usefulness in supporting and influencing decision making. The following tasks accomplished to carry out this study are described: (1) a retrospective survey of actions that followed the filing of 100 final EISs in late 1973; (2) field studies of environmental impacts from actions related to ten of these final EISs; (3) grading of scientific quality for 10 EISs by a panel of three scientists; (4) a survey of 100 final EISs filed in late 1980 under new regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality in late 1979; and (5) grading of scientific quality of 20 of these EISs by the science panel.