1.1This guide presents a framework for a stakeholder-focused Consensus-based Environmental Decision-making (CBED) process, which is a stakeholder-empowered, process to prioritize and select actions to be initiated with the goal of optimizing many types of environmental decisions that may affect a community or communities.

1.2This guide is intended to describe a highly flexible CBED process, and therefore does not recommend a specific course of action for this activity.

1.3This guide is intended to assist in implementing a CBED process, which allows assessing the full impact of any project- or issue-related decisions related to human health, ecological, socio-cultural or economic impacts.2

1.4This guide is not intended to replace existing environmental decision-making or public participation processes. It may be used with other processes or standards that address stakeholder involvement in environmental decision-making.

1.5Limitations-This standard does not address the specific methods for generating or evaluating technical data related to assessing a particular environmental issues. The user should seek other sources on methods to gather information for completion of models or other analyses that may be used during a CBED process. This standard may not fully address the rights of owners of real property or the potential impact (positive or negative) on the value of real property of a decision made using this process.