115Environmental Impact Analysis and Assessment
be equal to or greater than the delays and complications uncovered during
the scoping phase. At least if the issues and biases become apparent during
scoping, the extreme surprise ending can be avoided. Also, when the biases,
opposition, and intransigence are identied early in the process, there is at
least the possibility of addressing these obstacles. If the obstacles of pacify-
ing the extreme and self-centered opposition or changing the culture of the
project proponent cannot be overcome, at least the issues can be exposed to
the more rational stakeholders and their support used to forge a compromise.
Another potential trap of scoping is to substitute popular issues for real and
potentially ...