ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
Dr. Anupam Singhal
What is EIA?
an important procedure for ensuring that
the likely effects of new development on
the environment are fully understood and
taken into account before the development
is allowed to go ahead
(DETR and National Assembly for Wales, 1999)
What is the purpose of EIA ?
To encourage productive and enjoyable
harmony between man and his environment;
to promote efforts which will prevent or
eliminate damage to the environment and
biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare
of man; to enrich the understanding of the
ecological systems and natural resources
important to the Nation....
(National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, (NEPA)
Section 2, as enacted by the Congress of the United
States of America
What is the purpose of EIA ?
To LOOK before you LEAP!
EIA is now a required process in more than
100 nations.
The International Association for Impact
Assessment (IAIA) is a global network with
2,700 members from more than 80 countries.
What is it really?
Environmental Impact Assessment is a process,
set down as a repeatable series of steps to be
taken, to allow the environmental consequences
of a proposed development to be assessed.
The environmental consequences have to be
those INCREMENTAL effects which are due to
the proposed development, and not those which
are due to the passage of time or other
developments not included in the proposal.
Origins and history of EIA
1960s witnessed the emergence of
environmentalism (e.g. publication of
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962)
First formal system of EIA established in
the US following the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969
Origins and history of EIA
NEPA sought to ensure that environmental
concerns were considered in the decision-
making of Federal Government agencies
Section 102(2)(c) required agencies to prepare a
detailed statement on the environmental
impact of proposals for legislation and other
major Federal actions significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment
Origins and history of EIA
The statement referred to as an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) -
should include details on
any adverse environmental effects
which cannot be avoided should the
proposal be implemented
alternatives to the proposed action
Origins and history of EIA
Since 1969 a host of other countries have
adopted EIA legislation
In 1977 the European Commission began
drafting a directive on EIA and finally published a
proposal in 1980
Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the
effects of certain public and private projects on
the environment the EIA Directive was
adopted in July 1985 and Member States had
until 3 July 1988 to implement its requirements
KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
1. EIA must be undertaken EARLY in the
development of proposed projects, plans,
and programs, and must be completed
BEFORE a decision to proceed is made.
2. EIA must be an OBJECTIVE, IMPARTIAL
analytical process, not a way of promoting
or selling a proposal to decision-
makersit must use accepted scientific
principles and methods.
KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
3. EIA must analyze all REASONABLY
FORESEEABLE environmental impacts or
effects of a proposed action effects may
be short-term, long-term, direct, or indirect.
4. The process of EIA must be OPEN to
government officials at all levels, to
potential stakeholders (those with direct
interests in the proposed action), and to the
PUBLIC.
KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
5. There must be an early, public SCOPING stage in
EIA to consider ALTERNATIVES and to help focus
subsequent analysis on the MORE SIGNIFICANT
potential impacts rather than studying all possible
environmental effectsthe GOAL is to reach a
decision.
6. Government officials responsible for implementing
EIA must ENCOURAGE (not just tolerate) PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION in the process from the scoping
stage forward.
KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
7. In all EIA processes, effective MITIGATION
MEASURES must be identified and includedto
avoid, minimize, or reduce the adverse effects of
all potentially significant impacts.
8. EIA reports must include an ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) or Action Plan to
MONITOR the implementation phase of the project,
plan, or program and provide for CORRECTIVE
actionssuch action plans must have assured
FUNDING and be legally enforceable.
The EIA Directive
The EIA Directive requires projects likely
to have significant effects on the
environment by virtue of their nature, size
or location to undergo an environmental
assessment before the competent
authority in question grants consent
The EIA Directive
The EIA Directive was amended in 1997
(Directive 97/11/EC). Following signature
of the Aarhus Convention on 25 June
1998, Directive 2003/35/EC was adopted
which amends amongst others the EIA
Directive and brings it into line with the
public participation requirements of the
Aarhus Convention
The EIA Directive
The EIA Directive defines a project as
the execution of construction works or of
other installations or schemes,
other interventions in the natural
surroundings and landscape including
those involving the extraction of mineral
resources
The EIA Directive
The EIA should identify, describe and assess
the direct and indirect effects of a project on
the following factors:
human beings, fauna and flora
soil, water, air, climate and the landscape
material assets and cultural heritage
the interaction between the above factors
EIA should therefore have a strong social
dimension
FINAL
REPORT
EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL
STATUS WITHOUT PROJECT
DECISION ON
FEASIBILITY OF
PROJECT
REMEDIAL PREDICTION OF IMPACT ON
MEASURES ENVIRONMENT DUE TO PROPOSED
PROJECT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Screening (does the project Impact assessment
require EIA?) (interpreting the impacts)
Scoping (what issues and Mitigation (what can be done to
impacts should the EIA address?) alleviate negative impacts?)
Baseline studies (establish EIS preparation/review
the environmental baseline) (document the EIA findings)
Alternatives (consider the Public consultation
different approaches) (consult general public and NGOs)
Impact prediction (forecast Monitoring (monitor impacts
the environmental impacts) of project)
Screening
Is an EIA needed?
Many projects may have no significant
environmental effects
A screening mechanism seeks to identify those
projects with potentially significant adverse
environmental effects
The principal approaches to screening:
the use of thresholds
Size of the project
Sensitivity of the environment
case-by-case examination against criteria
Scoping
The scope of an EIA is the key issues and
impacts that should be included in the
Environmental Assessment
Scoping is the process of deciding which
of a projects possible alternatives and
impacts should be addressed in the EIA
An EIA should focus only on the
significant issues and impacts
Scoping
Scoping is carried out in discussions
between the developer, the competent
authority, relevant agencies and, ideally,
the public
Effective scoping enables limited
resources to be allocated to best effect
(i.e. through investigation of only the most
significant impacts)
Baseline studies
Following the scoping phase, it is essential to
assemble all the relevant information on the
current status of the environment
The baseline study should anticipate the future
state of the environment assuming the project is
not undertaken - the no action alternative
This provides the baseline against which future
impacts can be assessed
Baseline studies
Baseline studies should be undertaken for
each alternative site so that the relative
severity of the impacts for each alternative
can be assessed
New field work may be necessary (e.g.
ecological survey) if relevant data is not
already available
Impact assessment
Impact assessment involves evaluating the
significance of the impacts identified
Significance can be determined through
professional judgement, reference to regulations
etc.
Potential for bias in determining what is
significant
The conclusions of the impact assessment can
ultimately be used by decision-makers when
determining the fate of the project application
Mitigation
Negative impacts on the environment identified
during the EIA can be alleviated through
mitigation measures
The mitigation hierarchy: Avoid - Reduce -
Remedy - Compensate - Enhance
Impacts remaining after mitigation are known as
residual impacts
The legislation obstructs the proper process
of design development
EIS preparation / review
The Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) is a formal document which includes
information on the development and
information relating to screening, scoping,
baseline studies, alternatives etc.
Common requirement to include a non-
technical summary
EIS preparation / review
Once complete, the EIS is submitted to the
competent authority (along with the
planning application)
The EIS is often reviewed (either formally
or informally)
The review enables the competent
authority to decide whether the EIA is
adequate, accurate and unbiased
Public consultation
The EIA Directive provides for public
consultation on the application for
development and the EIS
Post-project monitoring
Monitoring should determine:
the accuracy of the original predictions
the degree of deviation from the predictions
the possible reasons for any deviations
the extent to which mitigation measures have
achieved their objectives
What is in an ES?
Non Technical Summary
Description of the proposals
Assessment of Baseline conditions
Assessment of no development conditions
Assessment of conditions with
development
Mitigation proposals
What is in an ES?
All conditions assessed for
Construction phase
Operation phase
Termination phase
CONTENT OF EIA ANALYSIS
Physical components:
Land
Air
Water
Energy
CONTENT OF EIA ANALYSIS
Bio-Cultural components:
Nature
Culture
People
Access
EIA Impact Analysis Summary Table
PHASE: Construction Operation Termination
__________________________________________________
Physical:
Land
Air
Water
Energy
__________________________________________________
Bio-Cultural:
Nature
Culture
People
Access
Construction Phase
Temporary
Higher levels of impact usually deemed
acceptable
Difficult to predict
VERY difficult to enforce conditions
Usually well influenced by effective
consultation
Operation Phase
Long Term
Much less room for compromise on standards
Relatively simpler to predict
Less difficult to enforce conditions, as the
conditions are on the project owner
Usually less influenced by effective consultation
at scheme level, more at detailed level
Operation Phase
Can be several phases
Project itself may be developed in stages
Sometimes need to look at
Commissioning
Opening
Operation after period
Operation once landscaping mature
Operation at design capacity
Operation at ultimate capacity
Consents Process
ES generally accompanies an application for
permission to proceed
May be at Local, Regional, or National level
Local and regional levels usually can refer
upwards
Application will be at outline or detailed stage;
increasingly difficult to get approval on outline
applications
