A brief description of the EIA proc

A brief description of the EIA process in both countries is necessary to understand the differences in their approaches. Flowcharts of the processes are shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the United States (Figure 1) the process starts with a notice of intent which must be published in the Federal Register (the official US government publication). This is followed by the scoping process (see below). After scoping the draft EIS is prepared and then released for comment by the public, US Environmental Protection Agency, and any other agencies. The final EIS is then produced after which there can be additional review. Then a record of decision must be published (again in the Federal Register)