About This Collection
EIS statements in the collection, by category
Urban Development & Housing — 29.2%
Transportation & Infrastructure — 27.1%
Environment, Water, & Natural Resources — 16.7%
Energy & Power Generation — 11.1%
Health & Safety — 6.2%
Aerospace & Defense — 4.9%
Recreation, Culture, & Other — 4.9%
Hover over each colored slice to see the percentage.
EIS statements in the collection, by year of publication
Hover over each year to reveal the number of EIS statements published each year.
EIS statements in the collection, by lead agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — 27.8%
Federal Highway Administration — 12.5%
Urban Mass Transportation Administration — 6.9%
Bureau of Reclamation — 4.9%
Centers of Excellence — 4.2%
Other Agencies — 43.7%
Hover over each colored slice to see the percentage.
About the Categories
Urban Development & Housing: 29.2% (42 documents)
Projects centered on urban renewal, community block grants, residential or commercial real estate development and public housing facilities. Examples: Downtown revitalization efforts, disaster recovery rebuilding (such as after Hurricane Agnes), apartment complexes, and government buildings.
Featured EIS document: Loring Park Pedestrian Greenway (1977): planned redevelopment in Minneapolis featuring 2,000 residential units and 1,050 hotel units, with a "raised pedestrian greenway" designed to completely separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic while physically integrating the downtown area with a local park.
Transportation & Infrastructure: 27.1% (39 documents)
Initiatives focused on mass transit systems, highway and road construction, airport expansions, railroad corridors, and vehicle regulations. Examples: Interstate highway extensions, subway and light rail construction (like the NY Subway or MARTA), airport land acquisitions, and automotive fuel economy standards.
Featured EIS document: A car-free Times Square (1980). For a detailed exhibition on this topic, click here.
Environment, Water, & Natural Resources: 16.7% (24 documents)
Efforts concerning water management, flood control, pollution, wildlife protection, land conservation, and weather modification. Examples: Cloud seeding experiments, river dredging, harbor deepening, endangered species protection, and national park land management.
Featured EIS document: "Project STORMFURY" (1972), aiming to fly missions directly into hurricanes to drop silver iodide into the clouds, attempting to weaken storms.
Energy & Power Generation: 11.1% (16 documents)
Developments involving power plants, electricity transmission infrastructure, alternative fuels, and energy resource extraction. Examples: Nuclear station operations (e.g., Three Mile Island, Diablo Canyon), hydroelectric pumped-storage, high-voltage transmission lines, and coal leases.
Featured EIS document: Deep Geothermal Drilling (1972) details an early attempt to drill a test well between 4,000 and 8,000 feet deep in California's Imperial Valley.
Health & Safety: 6.2% (9 documents)
Regulations and interventions aimed at protecting human health from hazardous chemicals, dangerous products, and occupational hazards. Examples: Occupational exposure limits for lead and vinyl chloride, regulations on lead-containing paints, marijuana eradication, and chemical waste incineration.
Featured EIS document: A 1976 EIS from Washington D.C. proposed new regulations to address lead-based paint hazards to address the dangers of lead poisoning.
Aerospace & Defense: 4.9% (7 documents)
Criteria: Space exploration missions, military operations, and aircraft testing or development. Examples: Naval weapons training, underground nuclear tests, and Air Force aircraft development.
Featured EIS documents: NASA's 1972 EIS statements for the final Apollo 16 and 17 lunar landing missions. A 1975 EIS proposed continuation for underground nuclear testing at the Nevada Testing Site.
Recreation, Culture, Diplomacy & Other: 4.9% (7 documents)
Criteria: Public events, international expositions, sports and recreation events, and miscellaneous administrative actions. Examples: the Spokane '74 and Knoxville Expositions, off-road motorcycle races, and the Panama Canal Treaty.
Featured EIS document: the XIII Olympic Winter Games in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York.