ENV 361

Environmental Impact and Site Assessment

This broadly interdisciplinary course introduces students to the principles, practices, and procedures followed by environmental professionals in assessing sites for the presence of environmental hazards that could trigger cleanup requirements under federal or state environmental laws, and in assessing the environmental impacts of proposed development projects under the National Environmental Policy Act and similar state laws, using insights drawn from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and other fields. Students spend most of the course undertaking a virtual Phase I site assessment at a hypothetical former industrial site and its environs using Brownfield Action, a web-based simulation developed by experts to teach students the skills needed to prepare a professional-level environmental site assessment, and preparing a draft environmental impact statement for the hypothetical redevelopment project proposed for the site.

Units: 3.0