Secondary environmental effects and the national environmental policy act with case study on Chocolate Bayou, Texas

[摘要] The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 created the requirement that environmental impact statements must be issued for all major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Administrative and technical interpretation of this Act has led to the incorporation of secondary as well as primary effects into a procedurally correct EIS. Secondary effects are induced effects, or changed patterns of economic activity, due to the construction of the project. As such, secondary effects may be more significant than primary effects, yet few EIS's to date have adequately discussed secondary effects. An in depth core study of Chocolate Bayou, Texas, a Corps of Engineers Channelization project, is presented in this thesis to determine the secondary effects ensuing therefrom. Conclusions from this case study are (1) that there will be induced economic development as a result of this channelization project and (2) that a draft EIS prepared by the Corps of Engineers violates the procedural mandates of NEPA by failing to consider the secondary effects of this project. Finally, a methodology for determining the secondary effects of a project is offered as a means of aiding in the determination of which effects should be considered in a procedurally correct EIS.

[发布机构] Rice University