Environmental impact statement

The purpose of the EIS is to assist the planning board and zoning board of review to determine whether the proposed project conforms with the express intent of this ordinance to provide adequate light and air; to prevent the overcrowding of land; to protect and conserve the value of land and buildings and the economic and social stability of all parts of the town; to preserve exceptional natural features and environmentally sensitive land and waters; to prevent the pollution of ground[waters] and surface waters and wetlands; to avoid hazardous conditions and excessive damage resulting from stormwater runoff and flooding; to promote the preservation of the existing historic character of the town and to encourage uses which will harmonize with that character; to prevent unsightly, obtrusive, and obnoxious land uses; and otherwise to encourage the most appropriate use of the town's land and natural and manmade resources.

The EIS should assemble relevant and material facts, identify the essential issues to be decided, evaluate all mitigation measures and reasonable alternatives, and make findings and conclusions. It should be analytical, not encyclopedic.

The EIS must contain the following:

— A concise description of the proposed project, including its purpose and need.

— A concise description of the environmental setting of the areas to be affected, sufficient to understand the effects of the proposed project and alternatives.

— A statement of the important environmental impacts of the proposed project, including short[term] and longterm effects and typical associated environmental effects.

— An identification and brief discussion of any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided if the proposed project is constructed.

— A description and evaluation of reasonable alternatives to the project which would achieve the same or similar objectives. (The description and evaluation should be at a level of detail sufficient to permit a comparative assessment of the alternatives discussed. The no-action alternative must also be discussed and evaluated.)

— An identification of any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be associated with the proposed project should it be constructed.

— A description of mitigation measures to minimize the adverse environmental impacts.

— A description of any growth-inducing aspects of the proposed project, where applicable and significant.

— A discussion of the effects of the proposed project on the use and conservation of energy, where applicable and significant; and

— A list of any underlying studies, reports and other information obtained and considered in preparing the EIS.