Reclamation's Decision Process Guide
Relevance |
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Don't waste resources on anything that does not relate directly to the decision and the solution. First decide if something is relevant, and then if it is significant.
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Determining significance is not a yes/no decision: shades of grey and every other color infuse the question. Really answer: Does it cross the threshold where we need to deal with it ? These thresholds will vary. They depend on:
You will need to discuss these thresholds with other groups and determine them for your process. Remember that this is not a hard, fine cutoff point. Carefully examine all perspectives of problems, issues, and analysis needs that hover on the borders.
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First figure out what you are dealing with by looking at:
Then test for significance by asking:
MATS analyses have found that between 18 and 25 factors influencing the decision are usually identified. However, when relevance, significance, and overlap are eliminated, decisions usually rest on five or fewer major factors. Note that "significant" has a slightly different connotation when applied to impacts under a NEPA compliance process. It may have different definitions in other processes as well. For example, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires an analysis for population projections under every document.
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Handyman's Tour Level of detail <--------------> Indicators |
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