Abstract
This article begins by discussing the role of environmental impact review statutes, starting with NEPA, the genesis of environmental impact review (EIR). The article then segues into an exploration of the environmental impact review statutes in New York, California and Washington, discussing the process and procedures required under those statutes. Methods of EIR that foster integration with local planning and land use regulation are highlighted. The planning procedures in those states as well as authority for local governments to enact EIR statutes are discussed. The paper also addresses the authority available to local governments to initiate local EIR statutes and to integrate EIR with local planning. A local environmental impact statute adopted in South Carolina is presented, illustrating how local governments in states without SEPAs can implement EIR. Finally, this article discusses methods of integrating EIR with local planning processes in an effort to streamline local approval processes and provide for more effective and far-reaching protection of the environment. Local EIR illustrates how land use regulation and environmental law intersect to achieve comprehensive environmental protection.
Recommended Citation
Kathryn C. Plunkett, Local Environmental Impact Review: Integrating Land Use and Planning through Local Environmental Impact Reviews , 20 Pace Envtl. L. Rev. 211 (2003)DOI: https://doi.org/10.58948/0738-6206.1167
Available at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol20/iss1/10