ARPL 586A Envrionmental Impact Assessment
The course will provide a critical analysis of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Assessment (EA), as well as critical planning tools developed in the U.S.A. in 1969 to address "sustainable development." EIA is a multi-disciplinary predictive science designed to identify and interpret the significance of effects on the environment caused by infrastructure facilities (i.e., power plants, landfills, highways, pipelines, transit, etc.). EA is a "rational-comprehensive" planning process that uses the tools of EIA as a means of selecting alternative facilities, plans, or programs that minimize effects on the bio-geo-physical and socio-economic environment. Students will become familiar with EIA history and theory from the 1960's to the present. Since U.S. "Environmental Planners" are engaged around the world, we will examine EIA regulations at various levels of government, including the 1969 U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), state EIA regulations, municipal Comprehensive Plan EIA policies, Canada/Europe and regulations in the developing world. Students will learn about impact assessment techniques (e.g. impact matrices, overlay mapping using GIS). Because public controversy and the "not-in-my-backyard" (NIMBY) syndrome is pervasive in EIA projects, the course will review public engagement and conflict resolution methods and students will go on field trips to public meetings for local EIAs. High profile controversial case studies will be reviewed including the Keystone XL pipeline. The course will examine whether EIA as presently practiced is consistent with Christian/Catholic ecological stewardship paradigms (i.e. Earthkeeping), including environmental and social equity.