Government Sources by Subject: Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)

The University of Washington Libraries collects Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) dealing with the Pacific Northwest dating from the early 1970's to the present. Many are located in Suzzallo & Allen Stacks, Government Publications, the Engineering Library, and Special Collections and can be found by checking the UW Libraries catalog. Perusing books in the TD classification provides a small glimpse of the larger, dispersed collection. Drafts continue to be important even after final reports are written. Final EIS's may refer to information in the draft without actually reprinting the information.

An EIS typically contains a statement on the purpose of the EIS, a description of the affected environment, alternatives to the proposed action including no action, and an analysis describing the positive and negative environmental effects of a proposed action and its alternatives.  An EIS may also include a financial plan, an environmental mitigation plan, and/or other relevant documentation.  When an EIS is required, the agency responsible for the EIS will publish in the Federal Register a "notice of intent" to prepare the EIS along with a brief description of the purpose of the project.  References to EIS can also be found throughout the Army Corps of Engineers Annual Reports.

The contents of the separate EIS database previously maintained by the UW Libraries were loaded into the UW Libraries online catalog in October 2006. Keyword searching in the UW Libraries catalog is the recommended way to locate them. Over time the minimal records from the database will be replaced by fully cataloged records.

The Federal Environmental Impact Report for Oil Shale Lease Site "C-B" Calls for This Spot to Become a Dump for Processed Shale.

Image courtesy of the National Archives at College Park.