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The idea for tills manual has roots in more than 25 years of work interpreting and transferring scientific and technical information for use by policy and decisionmakers. I was privileged to take part in the formulation of the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 while Chief of the Environmental Policy Division of the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. This law called for the preparation of an environmental impact statement—an action-forcing provision aimed at American government officials. But the concept of a special analysis of the consequences to the environment Of technological change has spread around the world. The cost important result is the availability of information to the public and to managers about natural systems and their behavior which would not otherwise have been gathered and assessed. Now, with environmental impact assessment, decisions about using and protecting the environment are better informed, and public participation is facilitated.