Which element is central to an Environmental Impact Statement?

• A. Mitigation measures only.
• B. Potential environmental impacts of a proposed project and outlines of mitigation measures.
• C. Construction schedules.
• D. Budget and funding.

Answer: (B)

An Environmental Impact Statement focuses on identifying the possible environmental effects of a proposed action and describing ways to avoid or lessen those effects. The best answer combines both aspects: potential environmental impacts and outlines of mitigation measures. This captures the core purpose of an EIS—to assess what could happen to the environment and to propose concrete steps to prevent or reduce harm.

Mitigation-only is incomplete because it skips the essential step of identifying what impacts could occur. Construction schedules aren’t the primary concern of an EIS, since the document analyzes environmental consequences rather than project logistics. Budget and funding aren’t central to the environmental analysis either; they matter for implementation but don’t define what the environmental effects are or how they’ll be mitigated.