Which process is used to determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement is required?

• A. Environmental Assessment
• B. Environmental Impact Statement
• C. FONSI
• D. Categorical exclusion

Answer: (A)

The environmental assessment process is used to decide if an Environmental Impact Statement is needed. An Environmental Assessment (EA) is a concise analysis that determines whether a proposed action could have significant environmental effects. If the EA finds no significant impact, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is issued; if significant effects are found, the project requires a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Categorical exclusion refers to actions that are not expected to have significant effects and thus typically do not require either an EA or an EIS, so it isn’t the process used to decide whether an EIS is required. The Environmental Impact Statement is produced only after determining significant impact, not for deciding whether an EIS is needed.