The EIS process is generally the same whether done under the Federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or a State counterpart.  The NEPA process includes analyses of potential impacts in categories that are intuitively “environmental” such as threatened and endangered species and wetlands, but also include less obvious factors such as archaeological resources,  visual impacts and socioeconomic impacts.  The EIS process is an explicitly public one. Since the use of public funds initiates the process the one paying the bill, the Public, needs to understand the implications of the preferred project as well as alternatives that were considered.  The EIS process does not result in a position statement for or against a project.  Rather it is a non-biased statement on the environmental costs and benefits of a project that is used as a decision-making tool by the funding agency.

In cases where the proposed project is not considered to represent significant environmental impacts, the more concise and focused  EA process is often acceptable to the granting agency.  The EA covers the same core elements of the full EIS such as project need and any alternatives considered while impacts to the environment are concentrated on those areas that “significantly” affect the environment.  Completion of an EA is an eligible use of funding.