Searching at Northwestern
The library holds print copies of most pre-2012 EISs, and digital copies of later EISs.The majority of our holdings were digitized by Google and made available through HathiTrust. The EIS drop-down option in the Transportation Library's catalog allows users to search all cataloged fields in our collection of environmental impact statements: title, author/creator (issuing agency), year, and any subject headings or notes contained in the 
To limit results to items available full text online through our database, click the Full Text Online option at the top of your search results, or on the left panel of the screen
To limit by year or issuing agency, select the appropriate option from the left panel of the screen.
Or, simply select Advanced Search to define your search parameters at the start.
HathiTrust
- HathiTrustOver 33,000 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) reports digitized from our collection by Google are available in full text through HathiTrust.
HathiTrust allows for full-text searching of EISs. Search for the phrase "Environmental Impact Statement" and any pertinent keywords. To limit to Northwestern's holdings, include the phrase "Northwestern University," or just select our institution from the panel on the left of the page.
Please note that not all of our EIS titles were digitized by Google and that all hard copy titles are still available in the library and through interlibrary loan. It is also important to note that due to physical limitations in the scanning bed used by Google, oversized materials within the volumes such as maps and foldouts were not digitized.
EIS Digests
- Environmental Impact Statements : Digests This link opens in a new windowThis database provides detailed abstracts and indexing of the hundreds of environmental impact statements issued each year by the federal government. EIS extracts the key issues from complex government-released environmental impact statements, converting massive documents into concise, readable abstracts. Each entry includes a clear description of the project, sections on positive impact and negative consequences and legal mandates. Coverage: 1985 - current.
Most of the EISs listed in this database are held in the Transportation Library. To locate them, do not use the "Find it at NU" button in the database. Instead, copy the title and paste it into the EIS search tab. If the search is unsuccessful, delete all but the most important words and search again. Please contact the Transportation Library if you have difficulty locating an EIS.
Environmental Impact Statement Database (EPA)
- Environmental Impact Statement Database (EPA)Records of all EISs received by the EPA since 1987, EPA comment letters on EISs since 2001, and electronic (PDF) versions of EISs received by EPA since October 2012.
Google Books
- Google BooksEISs from our collection digitized by Google can be accessed through Google Books.
Search Google Books for full-text copies of EISs from our collection digitized by Google. It is important to note that due to physical limitations in the scanning bed used by Google, they were unable to digitize oversized materials within the volumes such as maps, foldouts, etc.
National Technical Reports Library (NTRL)
- NTRL SearchSearch for full-text EISs in the National Technical Reports Library. Reports in this database come primarily from the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the military.