Eccleston, Charles H.

PERSONAL:

Education: University of Washington, B.S., 1977; Central Washington University, B.S., 1984; Western Washington University, M.S., 1985; Kennedy Western University, Ph.D., 2004; attended Duke University; Board Certified Environmental Professional.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Richland, WA. E-mail—env_planning@msn.com.

CAREER:

Writer and environmental engineer. Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX, software engineer, 1984-88; GTE Corporation, Mountain View, CA, Star Wars research and lead engineer of defense electronics, 1988-89; Fluor Daniel, Hanford, WA, principal environmental scientist, 1989-2001; Environmental Planning and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Planning Services Corporation, president, 2001-03; Air Quality and Mold Testing, Inc., owner and president, 2003—.

MEMBER:

National Association of Environmental Professionals (chairman, cumulative impact standards committee, 1994-96; chairman, NEPA tool and techniques committee, 1996—), International Association of Impact Assessment, American Planning Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

U.S. Secretary of Energy Awards, for "Incorporating Pollution Prevention in the NEPA Process," 1998 and 1999; Outstanding performance in environmental profession and the advancement of NEPA award, National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP), 2001, for Effective Environmental Assessments.

WRITINGS:

The NEPA Planning Process: A Comprehensive Guide with Emphasis on Efficiency, Wiley (New York, NY), 1999.

Environmental Impact Statements: A Comprehensive Guide to Project and Strategic Planning, Wiley (New York, NY), 2000.

Effective Environmental Assessments: How to Manage and Prepare NEPA EAs, Lewis Publishers (Boca Raton, FL), 2001.

Author of bimonthly column, "NEPA and Environmental Policy," Environmental Practice Journal, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

Writer and environmental engineer Charles H. Eccleston is an author and specialist in environmental planning and policy. As an environmental scientist, Eccleston is widely recognized as an expert in the interpretation and application of the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. As such, he is a frequent consultant to business and industry on NEPA-related issues and is the author of three textbooks on the subject.

In The NEPA Planning Process: A Comprehensive Guide with Emphasis on Efficiency, Eccleston "unravels the maze of NEPA requirements with an under- standing and logic that enables the reader to see where and how the process can be improved" and effectively applied, commented Gay MacGregor in the Journal of the American Planning Association. Eccleston also "clearly explains the mechanics of such NEPA requirements as environmental impact statements," MacGregor noted. He provides step-by-step guidance on NEPA planning and compliance, covering issues such as environmental assessments, screening, exemptions, and categorical exclusions. Eccleston also provides a historical overview of NEPA regulations, plus discussion of relevant NEPA litigation, interim actions, and other legal and regulatory activities. The book assembles a variety of materials into an "accurate and helpful summary of NEPA procedures," concluded Christopher Wood in Environment.

Similarly, Environmental Impact Statements: A Comprehensive Guide to Project and Strategic Planning provides detailed guidance and step-by-step procedures for preparing effective environmental impact statements. Eccleston describes in detail the requirements behind environmental impact statements and clearly explains the legal standards that such statements must satisfy. He presents real-world examples from case law and related litigation. A reviewer in Environmental Law noted that Eccleston uses an "incremental, building-block approach to describe the entire EIS planning process."