What is in an EIS?

• An environmental impact statement provides a comprehensive analysis of environmental and socioeconomic impacts
• Describes the purpose and need for the proposed program
• Identifies environmental impacts and mitigation options
• Analyzes alternatives to a proposed action
• Analyzes the short- and long-term impacts, cumulative impacts, and the commitment of resources that could be required
• Describes how public concerns were treated in the analysis

Preparing an EIS

An EIS is prepared following prescribed steps that encourage public participation:

• Scoping, which includes public meetings to collect comments
• Writing the draft EIS; conducting public hearings to collect additional comments
• Writing the final EIS
• Issuing a Record of Decision. 

The Abengoa Biorefinery EIS has published the final EIS and is processing its Record of Decision.

Public Scoping

Scoping is the first phase of public involvement in an EIS. It is the process by which the agencies gather information on:

• Proposed action
• Alternatives to be considered
• Significant issues to be analyzed
• Possible mitigation measures
• Availability of data relevant to the analyses
• Interested individuals and organizations and their specific concerns

DOE conducted a public scoping meeting on September 9, 2008, in Hugoton, Kansas.  DOE conducted a second public scoping meeting on May 19, 2009, also in Hugoton, Kansas.  You may view material from these meetings (you will need Adobe® Acrobat Reader to view these documents):

May 19th meeting:

• Transcripts - Public Scoping Meeting Transcripts
• Presentation - Welcome: Public Scoping Meeting, Abengoa Biorefinery Project
• Presentation - Abengoa Bioenergy
• Presentation - Office of Biomass Program