The risks and benefits for each EIS alternative will be based upon the following assessments:

• Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA): Jon Volstad at Versar, Inc. is working closely with risk assessment specialists from the ACOE, EPA, FWS and NOAA to assess the ecological risks and benefits for each EIS alternative. The ERA framework has been developed and this assessment is awaiting output from the demographic model.
• Economic Assessment: Doug Lipton at the University of Maryland and working closely with colleagues from the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences to assess the economic risks and benefits for each EIS alternative. A background report is available on the MD DNR webpage, and evaluations of the aquaculture alternatives are currently underway.
• Cultural Assessment: Michael Paolisso at the University of Maryland is responsible for assessing the cultural beliefs and values that different stakeholders have for the various alternatives. A background report is available on the MD DNR webpage, and current efforts are focused on obtaining additional information to support their analyses.