Identifying Impacting Factors, Area of Influence, and Resources Affected

Once the proposed project is fully described, the effect of the project on the environment must be determined. This section provides guidance on identifying those effects, the area that is affected, and the resources within that area that are affected.

This section provides guidance on identifying factors associated with project elements that result in impacts (including direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts), the area that would be affected by these impacting factors, and those resources that occur in that area and are most likely to be affected by the project during its lifetime. Guidance is also provided on data collection for characterizing the existing environment and on dealing with data uncertainty or gaps.

Follow the links below for guidance on identifying impacting factors, defining the area of influence of a project, and identifying the potential resources that could be impacted.

• Impacting Factors Associated with Project Phases
  This section provides guidance on identifying impacting factors associated with different project phases, including site characterization, project construction, operations, and decommissioning and reclamation. Examples of impacting factors include land disturbance; water, energy, and other material needs; worker activity patterns; effluents; and emissions.
• Area of Influence for all Project Phases
  This section provides guidance on identifying the area of influence associated with different project phases, including site characterization, project construction, operations, and decommissioning and reclamation. The area affected by the project can vary according to resource (e.g., land, water, biology). This area is often referred to as the affected environment.
• Potential Resources Affected
  This section provides guidance on identifying the resources present within the area of influence that could be affected by different project phases, including site characterization, project construction, operations, and decommissioning and reclamation.