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Outline on SIA
Step 2: Scoping to Identify Stakeholders & Issues
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Steps in SIA
Although every project, and every SIA, is unique, in most cases there
is a series of more or less standard steps through which the analysis must
proceed in order to achieve good results, including:
1. Dev an effective public involvement plan, so that all affected interests
will be involved.
2. Scoping to Identify the Stakeholders &
the Issues
3. Identify and characterize alternatives
4. Define baseline conditions
5. Project probable impacts
6. Predict responses to impacts
7. Consider indirect & cumulative impacts
8. Recommend new alternatives
9. Develop a mitigation plan
10. Implement to project
11. Monitor the project
12. Evaluate the project
13. Modify the project as needed
And some SIA projects may have steps that are unique to it |
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SIA Step 2 is to scope the affected population to identify the stakeholders
& the issues |
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The CEQ regulations (40CFR 1501.7) define scoping as any early &
open process for determining the scope of the issues to be addressed &
for identifying significant issues related to a proposed action |
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Scoping is part of the public involvement plan & is an imp part
of providing info to the public, & well as getting info from them |
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Scoping is carried out in consultation w/ affected grps & through
public participation process |
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Like any other study, an SIA must be scoped to assure proper focus
& that right methods are utilized |
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It is important to scope to identify the issues & estb why the
issues are important to the stakeholders |
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To identify the issues, ask
- What is the problem or project?
- What are the social implications & issues?
- Where is the focus of the project; i.e. how will the public see the
proposed project? |
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Scoping must take into acct that a project may be planned at three
levels including the programmatic or strategic level, at the operational
level, & at the project or implementation level |
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A given SIA scoping step should be designed for the appropriate level
of the proposed action whether that be the strategic, operational, or implementation
level |
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Scoping should encompass direct & indirect social effects, short
term, midterm, & longterm effects, & cumulative effects |
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Indirect effects will often result from a direct or indirect biological
or physical effect as well as indirect social effects |
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To scope to determine the stakeholders ask,
- Who cares about the proposed action?
- Why do they care about the action?
- Wow imp is the action or its effects to the stakeholder(s)? |
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There are several steps to determine whether a social issue might be
significant under NEPA |
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The first step to determine whether a social issue might be significant
under NEPA is to web & chain an issue to determine all of its social
implications |
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The second step to determine whether a social issue might be significant
under NEPA is to construct a Stakeholder Issue Matrix to organize, clarify,
& summarize the stakeholder grps & the significant issues |
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The last step to determine whether a social issue might be significant
under NEPA is to determine how the info from the Stakeholder Issue Matrix
can help select relevant soc vars to describe the effects of the proposed
action & begin forming alts which reflect the issues |
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Link
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The Table on the Stakeholder Issue
Matrix demonstrates that the purpose of the Stakeholder Issue Matrix
is to organize, clarify, & summarize the stakeholder grps & the
significant issues |
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A social variable (soc var) is an element or factor of the soc env
which may change or be altered (effected) as a result of a proposed action
& alts |
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Using significant issues identified through chaining & webbing
& the stakeholders matrix as a base, the scoping process should identify
the soc vars & possible measures needed to describe the soc effects
throughout the analysis |
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The selection of soc vars should clearly reflect which issues of concern
to the stakeholders are imp to the proposed action |
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While scoping may identify public issues, the soc analyst must recognize
issues that are significant because of their professional understanding
of the situation |
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Utilize webbing & chaining techniques to a stakeholder matrix to
identify significant issues |
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Once the issues have been identified & linked to the proposed action
& other issues through webbing & chaining, the soc analyst should
determine whether an issue is significant enough to be a soc var in the
SIA |
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Factors to consider in establishing the scope include the: |
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- probability that an event will occur |
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- number of people potentially affected |
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- duration of potential impacts |
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- values of benefits and costs to affected groups |
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- potential for reversibility or mitigation |
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- likelihood of subsequent impacts |
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- relevance to decisions |
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- uncertainties over probable effects controversy |
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Issues become soc vars based on SEVEN criteria including relevance,
significance, availability, efficiency, sensitivity, reliability, validity |
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1. An issue is relevant if it actually relates to the the proposed
action |
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2. An issue is significant if the proposed action or other actions
affect or are affected by the issue, & the potential effects are important
to the decision |
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3. An issue is available if it is possible to obtain data to
describe changes in the var |
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4. An issue is efficient if the measurement of the var reduces
the need for other data & measure; i.e. vars should not overlap too
much |
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5. An issue is sensitive if it clearly registers changes because
of the proposed action |
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6. An issue is reliable if measuring it yields consistent results |
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7. An issue is valid if measuring it results in findings that
truly represent the condition |
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