is the evaluation of a plan, policy, program, or existing project’s environmental effects before deciding whether to proceed with the suggested course of action. In this sense, “strategic environmental assessment” (SEA) refers to plans, programs, and policies that are typically suggested by state agencies, whereas “environmental impact assessment” (EPA) refers to actual projects carried out by people or businesses. It is an environmental management tool that is used in the approval and decision-making process for projects. Environmental evaluations may be susceptible to judicial review and may be governed by administrative procedural laws pertaining to public participation and decision-making documents.
The assessment’s goal is to make sure that decision-makers take the environment into account when determining whether or not to move forward with a project. “The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made” is how the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment. EIAs are special in that they don’t mandate decision-makers follow a predefined environmental outcome; instead, they require them to take environmental values into consideration and to support their choices with evidence from in-depth environmental studies and public comments on possible environmental impacts.
