21Summary of the National Environmental Policy Act
analysis, comparisons such as air quality benets versus adverse effects on
community noise levels, or highway trafc versus brook trout habitats are
inevitable. Using a degree of common methodology, such as signicance cri-
teria (see Chapter 5), is an important analysis approach that facilitates an
integration of disciplines to compare alternatives and make decisions that
balance effects on critical environmental resources.
Using a similar level of detail, accuracy, and precision to investigate
resources with similar levels of impact is another aspect of an interdisciplin-
ary approach that facilitates comparison of alternatives and decision mak-
ing, and adds to the objectivity of a ...