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EIAs have been used increasingly around the world. In the United States, Environmental Impact Assessments obtained formal status in 1969, with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). EIAs provide technical evaluations that are intended to contribute to more objective decision making. An EIA is prepared to estimate the effects of a proposed development or construction project.

4.1.2.1 Australian Capital Territory (ACT)Įnvironmental Impact Assessments commenced in the 1960s, as part of increasing environmental awareness.

EIAs are unique in that they do not require adherence to a predetermined environmental outcome, but rather they require decision makers to account for environmental values in their decisions and to justify those decisions in light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the potential environmental impacts. The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as "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". The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project.

Environmental assessments may be governed by rules of administrative procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision making, and may be subject to judicial review. It is a tool of environmental management forming a part of project approval and decision-making. In this context, the term " environmental impact assessment" ( EIA) is usually used when applied to actual projects by individuals or companies and the term " strategic environmental assessment" (SEA) applies to policies, plans and programmes most often proposed by organs of state. Environmental assessment ( EA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.