Informing environmental decision making: environmental impact assessment in Russia and the United States

Abstract

This paper examines the roles of nonprofit organizations as public participants in the environmental impact assessment process in the United States and Russia. Field data collection was carried out in fall 1999 in the U.S. and in winter 2000 in Russia. It was demonstrated that the U.S. citizens have a much greater access to participatory process than do Russians. However, Impact Assessment in both countries is advisory. In neither country do citizens have the right to participate in actual decision making.