Environmental Assessment
ES/RP 444/544

Spring 2008

Instructor: Dr. Brian Tissot, WSU Vancouver, ELS-230M, tissot@vancouver.wsu.edu;
Office Hours: M & W  1:00-2:00 by appointment 546-9630
Course location: VELS 12
Recommended Texts:

1. Jain, R., L.V. Urban, G.S. Stacey and H. Balbach. 2002. Environmental Assessment.
   2^nd Edition. McGraw-Hill (required)
2. Reinke, D. C. & L.L. Swartz. 1999. The NEPA Reference Guide. Batelle Press
3. Readings from EISs and the literature

*** Note to Spring 2008 students: Please read the following articles as soon as possible. The provide an excellent overview of NEPA and Integral Ecology a nice introduction to the course.

1. Weiland, P.S. 1999. Amending the NEPA: federal environmental protection for the 21st Century. J. Land Use & Environmental Law. 12(2): 275-305. (the link is to an Adobe Acrobat file. If you don't know how to read these go here)

2. Tissot, B. N. 2005. Integral marine ecology: community-based fishery management in Hawaii. World Futures 61: 79-95. PDF

Table of Contents:

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Course description

Tentative Syllabus

Guidelines for policy paper

Internet resources

On-line WSU journals

Integral Ecology website

Reference material:

NEPA court cases discussed in class

General course references

Take the Enneagram test!

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Papers for discussion in conference and class:

• Pros and cons of nuclear energy 

• References on a constitutional amendment

• References on Bush vs. Clinton Environmental Policy

• Social Ecology & Productive Harmony in NEPA

• Gray Wolf Delisting

• Oregon MPA Public Meetings

  • Oregonian article

  • Background documents

  • Relevant presentations: see Oct. 2006 meeting

• Environmental Justice: Saving Our Backyard The environmental racism hoax GAO 1983 Report

Public Meetings:

• Columbia River Estuary Salmon Recovery Plan: Thurs. 1/31, 6-8:30. Water Resources Education Center, Vancouver, WA

• Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Wed. March 19, 6-8 PM,  Water Resources Education Center, Vancouver, WA

• Vancouver City Council Meetings (every Monday)

• Columbia River Crossing Project

News and Notes:

• Intersex fish

• Supreme court hears Exxon Valdez case

  • Supreme Court Docket

• Dept. of agriculture contempt charge

  • Agriculture Chief's Priority: Avoid Jail

• Navy Sonar Ban upheld

• Role of science in judicial review

• Bonneville Dam Sea Lion Removal

  • Lawsuit

 

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Lecture Notes:

• Lecture 1 -- Introduction

• Lecture2 - Environmental Crisis.pdf

• Lecture3 - Introduction to IE.pdf

• Lecture4 - Historical Framework.pdf

• Lecture5 - Law & Policy.pdf

• Lecture6 - Legislative History of NEPA.pdf

• Lecture7 - Introduction to NEPA.pdf

• Lecture8 - CEQ.pdf

• Lecture9 - Review Process.pdf

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• Lecture10 - Implementation.pdf

• Lecture11 - ESA.pdf

• Lecture12 - Reviewing and preparing.pdf

• Lecture13 - Environmental Assessment.pdf

• Lecture14 - EAs and Significance.pdf

• Lecture15 - Public Participation.pdf

• Lecture16 - Conflict Resolution.pdf

• Lecture17 - Conflict Resolution & Enneagrams.pdf

• Lecture19 -Mitigation.pdf

• lecture20 - EISs.pdf

• lecture21 - EIS & RODSs.pdf

• lecture22 - EJ and NEPA.pdf

• lecture23 - International NEPA.pdf (overheads)

• lecture 25 - SEPA, HEPA, CEQA

• lecture26- Monitoring.pdf

• lecture28- Ethics.pdf

• lecture28- Future.pdf

 

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Assignments:

• Assignment 1: EA checklist (Good example)

• Assignment 2: EA checklist and review DUE March 19

• Assignment 3: Public Meeting Review DUE April 9

• Assignment 4: EIS Review DUE April 14

• Assignment 5: Policy paper DUE April 28

Homework:

• EA1: Hawaiian Honeycreeper EA
• EA2: Makah Whale Harvest EA
• EIS: Examples

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Note: If you need help reading PDF files go here.

• Study guides
  • Midterm 1
  • Midterm 2