EIS Format and Content Process

Key EIS Components

Purpose and Need

This section explains the purpose and need for the proposal and our authority for taking action on the proposal. When the proposed action concerns an application, the purpose and need for the proposed action will also be informed by the goals of the applicant. The section may also describe the relationships between BOEM’s authority to consider the proposal and the other legal and regulatory authorities that apply to the activities that might result. BOEM includes a summary of the NOI comment solicitation process (or in the section on consultation and coordination below) that identifies the concerns, alternatives, and mitigation measures that are considered in detail in subsequent sections of the EIS.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

This section presents scenarios that describe the activities assumed for the proposal and a reasonable range of alternatives. The description details any mitigation measures, such as lease stipulations for lease sale EISs, that are being considered for adoption. This section also summarizes the impacts expected to result from the proposal and each alternative, including no action.

Affected Environment

This section describes the elements of the natural, social, and economic environments that might be affected by the proposal or the alternatives. Emphasis is placed on the current status of each element and any reasonably foreseeable trends that may be evident. For example, a potentially affected bird species might be described in terms of its population, distribution, habits, and current condition. This section provides a baseline against which changes that might be caused by the proposal can be measured.

Expected Impacts

This section presents BOEM’s assessment of the reasonably foreseeable impacts that might be expected if the activities presented in the scenarios occur. A separate analysis is presented for the proposal and each alternative. Short- and long-term effects, beneficial and adverse effects, effects on public health and safety, economic effects, and effects on the quality of life of the American people are considered to determine the degree of impacts. If the project could result in oil spills, the EIS also describes the risk of spills occurring or contacting particular resources. A conclusion about predicted impacts is also presented for each concern analyzed.

Consultation and Coordination

This section, oftentimes found in an appendix, documents how BOEM consulted with government, public, and individual interests during preparation of the EIS. The principal emphasis of this section is a summary of the public comments that BOEM received on the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS and BOEM’s responses to those comments. Other types of information included in this section are:

• Results of any consultation with the appropriate federal agencies about the possible impacts of the proposal on endangered or threatened plant or animal species.
• Descriptions of the public participation process, including the details of any public meetings.
• Listings of the persons or groups that were provided copies of the EIS.

Depending on the scope of BOEM’s EIS, other federal agencies with special expertise or jurisdiction by law may become cooperating agencies on BOEM’s environmental document. BOEM may also be a cooperating agency on an EIS prepared by another Federal Agency, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, for a proposed action for which BOEM has jurisdiction or special expertise

During EIS development, BOEM might also consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about the potential effects of regulated activities on species protected under other federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act.

Appendices

Appendices are used to support critical analyses in the EIS. This section may contain technical reports that support the analysis of expected impacts. For the analysis of an oil and gas lease sale, those reports may include:  

• BOEM’s assessment of amounts of oil and gas resources that might be discovered in and produced from the area covered by the proposal;  
• BOEM’s assessment of the probabilities that oil spills might occur and the possible movements of spilled oil; and  
• A description of equipment and procedures that would be used to respond to an oil spill. Appendices generally also include references cited.