Transcript Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental
Impact Assessment
Myriam Raiche
November 8, 2007
What is an EIA?
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Simplified: EIA considers an action and its
possible consequences
A process and planning tool used for data
gathering and decision making (public and
private)
Identifies, predicts, and assesses the likely
consequences of proposed development
activities on the surrounding environment
Idealistically, process should be
comprehensive and objective
Canadian Environmental Assessment
Research Council Definition
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Process which attempts to identify and predict
the impacts of legislative proposals, policies,
programs, projects and operational procedures
on the biophysical environment, on human
health and well-being. It also interprets and
communicates information about those impacts
and investigates and proposes means for their
management. (Dearden and Mitchell, 2005, 171)
Canadian Environmental
Assessment Agency
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Purpose of EIA:
 Minimize
or avoid
adverse environmental
effects before they occur
 Incorporate
environmental factors
into decision making
Examples for Use of EIA
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Physical projects:
 Hydroelectric
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dam, wind farm, waste facility
Programs:
 Renewable
energy development scheme,
recycling program
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Policies:
 Energy
policy, waste management policy
Types of EIA
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Progression of EIA, from 1970s,
into various environmental focuses:
 Cumulative
impact assessment
 Social and economic assessment
 Strategic impact assessment
Jurisdictions & Regulations
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Public:
 Federal
level: CEAA administered by the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency
 Provincial/Territorial level: Provincial acts such as
BC’s EAA administered by the BC Environmental
Assessment Office
 Inter-jurisdictional agreements between federal and
provincial/territorial authorities: Canada-BC EA
Cooperation Agreement
Jurisdictions & Regulations
 Local
level: Regional and municipal regulations
administered by local government and planning
departments
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Private:
 Consultants,
resource managers, planners,
engineers, etc; sub-contracted or hired directly by
developer and subject to same regulations
EIA Approval
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4 assessment types described in
the CEAA:
 Screening
& class screening
 Comprehensive study
 Mediation
 Review panel
Summary of Steps in EIA Process
Proposal
 identify
basic concept of project
Screening
 Is
an EIA legally required?
 legalities (permits, legislation), scale (size, cost),
nature of project (public/private, type)
Scoping
 identify
issues and impacts to be addressed
Summary of Steps in EIA Process
Assessment
 data
collection, impact prediction, evaluation
Preparation, Submission, Review
Decision/Recommendation
of EIA report
 approval
or rejection based on EIA report
recommendations
Monitoring & Compliance
 Parameters
for maintaining and enforcing recommend
Benefits
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Protection and/or improvement of human
and environmental health
Maintenance of biodiversity
Sustainable use of natural resources
Minimized risks of environmental disasters
Opportunity for public participation
Fewer conflicts between users
Challenges
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Early involvement of EIA process in project
planning and development
Threshold of environmental impact: finding the
acceptable level of environmental impact
Lack of black and white in decision-making:
need to balance subjective judgments and
cultural values with scientific studies
Challenges
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Every project is unique: standard format is not
always available but allows for creativity and
project-specific measures
Data collection: lack of data and imperfect data
(leads to guesswork and unknowns)
References
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Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency website at
http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/index_e.htm
Dearden, Philip and Mitchell, Bruce. (2005). Environmental Change
and Challenge. A Canadian Perspective. 2nd ed. Canada: Oxford
University Press.
Environmental Assessment Office website at
http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca
Environmental Impact Assessment. Urban Environmental
Management. Global Development Research Center website at
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eia/impactassess.html
Hanna, Kevin S. (Ed). (2005). Environmental Impact Assessment.
Practice and Participation. Canada: Oxford University Press.
Questions?
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Do you think EIAs have been
successful in their mandate or are
economic issues still at the
forefront? What about in the
future…
Are they empty statements?