ENVP 310 | Environmental Decision Making

This course is an applied introduction to the use and limitations of environmental impact analysis to guide decision making. Students engage in a series of lively and accessible policy simulations and legal puzzles that mimic challenges faced by environmental professionals and affected community members in real cases. Most, if not all, environmental professionals across a wide range of expertise areas engage with this decision making approach because it is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and many similar state and local laws. Timber harvests, oil and gas pipelines, renewable energy projects, transportation planning and building construction are just some of the actions routinely subjected to environmental impact analysis. Activists, advocacy organizations and affected community members also engage with these decision making processes through public hearings, comments and important legal challenges. Actions with significant environmental effects are proposed, contested and ultimately decided after wrestling with alternatives arising from environmental impact analysis.