A
document, prepared after careful studies, describing a proposed
development or activity, and disclosing the possible, probable,
or certain effects of that proposal on the environment. An EIS
should be comprehensive in its treatment of the subject matter,
objective in its approach, and sufficiently specific for a reasonably
intelligent and informed mind to examine the potential environmental
consequences of the carrying out or not carrying out of that proposal.
An EIS should meet the requirement that it alerts the decision-maker,
members of the public, and the government to the consequences
to the community; it should also explore possible alternatives
to the project that might maximize the benefits while minimizing
the disbenefits. The purpose of an EIS is to assist the decision-maker
in arriving at a better informed decision than would otherwise
have been the case...(Gilpin 1990, p. 72).
The
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not a decision-making end
in itself but a means to a decision-making end.
Reference:
Alan
Gilpin, An Australian Dictionary of Environment and Planning,
Oxford University Press, 1990, p72
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