Answer: 1960s
Step-by-step explanation:
Since the 1960s, environmental impact assessments have been part of increasing awareness of the environment. In an EIA, the impacts of a proposed construction or development project are assessed. As a result of EIAs, objective decision-making can be achieved through technical evaluations. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 gave EIA formal status in the United States. Globally, EIAs are becoming more common. Environmental assessments have vastly outnumbered more rigorous environmental impact statements every year. An environmental assessment is a "mini-Environmental Impact Statement" designed to provide sufficient information to enable an agency to decide whether to prepare a full-blown EIS.
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