WHAT IS AN EIS,
AND WHY PREPARE ONE?

In 1969, the US Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), our national charter for environmental planning. NEPA provides for the consideration of environmental issues in federal agency planning and decision-making. The President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) established guidelines for federal agency implementation of NEPA regulations.

Environmental impact statements (EISs) are detailed studies prepared pursuant to NEPA and CEQ regulations for federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human and natural environments. EISs provide agency decision-makers and the public with assessments of the potential consequences of proposed federal actions on the human and natural environments.

An EIS typically contains the following information:

• A concise statement of the purpose and need for the proposed action

• A description of the proposed action and alternatives considered

• A discussion of the affected environment

• A discussion of potential impacts of the proposed action

• A discussion of mitigation for those impacts

The Navy has prepared an overseas environmental impact statement/environmental impact statement (OEIS/EIS) pursuant to NEPA and CEQ regulations to assess the potential environmental effects of installing and operating an undersea warfare training range (USWTR) offshore of the east coast of the United States (US).