Environmental Impact Assessment

Question 1

What are the three project categories and what kind of Environmental Impact Assessment do they require? Give an example for a project for each project category.

Answer 1

• Prevention ( e.g. alternative site or production process)
• Reduction ( e.g. water treatment plant)
• Compensation ( e.g. off-site community program, reforestation)

Question 2

Why environmental degradation continues to be a major concern in developing countries?

Answer 2

• In many cases, EIA has not been effective due to legislation, organisational capacity, training, environmental information, participation, diffusion of experience, donor policy and political will.

Question 3

What is EIA?

Answer 3

EIA is a process aimed at improving decision making by ensuring that projects and programs under conside­ration are environmentally sound and sustainable.

Question 4

What are the main elements of the EIA report?

Answer 4

• assessment of potential impacts
• proposal of mitigation measures
• Environmental Management Plan (EMP)

Question 5

Where does EIA fit in ESA?

Answer 5

• It is an assessment technique for specific projects.
• It is unique compared to other tools in the ESA Toolkit: it is a legal instrument with therefore specific, well described application and format.

Question 6

How is EIA used in the project cycle?

Answer 6

• EIA is used throughout the project cycle except for the decision making phase.
  1. Identification (of a problem) → screening and scoping environmental impacts
  
  • Where will the plant be built?
  • Which environmental impacts are potentially significant?
  • Close to protected area?
  • How to assess impacts?
    
    2. Design → preparation of EIA & modification project proposal
  • Preparation of EIA report
    
    • detailed analysis of environmental impacts
    • design of mitigation measures
    • design of environmental management plan
    • design of environmental monitoring plan
    • training and capacity building
  • Ensuring that project design is adjusted where feasible, i.e. meet corporate, government and IFC standards
  • Stakeholder engagement
    
    3. Appraisal → Environmental appraisal
  • Legal obligations: are national ( and international?) standards met? are necessary permits recived?
  • Company policy: are company standards met?
  • Stakeholders relations - is there a risk of significant protest by NGOs?Is there a risk for the project or the company brand?
  • Are there any long-term liabilities and have they been mitigated?
  • What are the costs of the proposed environmental mitigation plan?
    
    4. Decision making → nothing
    5. Implementation → Implementation of EMP + environmental Monitoring
  • Implement the mitigation measures
  • Operate ( and improve) the systems
  • Report to regulator
    
    6. Evaluation → Post-Project EIA
  • not always done
  • mostly done in cases of serious problems with a project

Question 7

Who does what in an EIA?

Answer 7

• Proponent: submits a proposal (e.g. a new factory) to the local authorities
• Responsible authority: screens the proposal, and if an EIA is required, formulates a Start Document (in Dutch: Startnotitie MER).
• Proponent: Responsible for preparation of the EIA (often the EIA is prepared by a consultant)
• As part of the EIA: public consultation
• The EIA is evaluated by the responsible authorities. An additional public hearing or expert advise may be called for.
• The permit is provided by the authorities to the proponent
• The proponent is responsible for carrying out the mitigation measures
• Mitigation measures can be included in environmental permits, reporting required by proponent, monitoring can also be done by authorities

Question 8

What are the different types of EIA?

Answer 8

• ‘Regular’ EIA: projects

- Strategic EA: plans, policies, and series of projects associated with a specific sector

Question 9

From the perspective of a project manager in a company : Why does EIA provide an added value to regular cost/benefit analysis?

Answer 9

• CONTENTS
  
  • EIA addresses ecological and social risks that are usually not taken into account in economic analysis such as biodiversity or health impacts, but that are still important to project design.
  • EIA places the project in it’s spatial context which may reveal otherwise ‘hidden’ economic costs and benefits
• PROCESS
  
  • Compulsory, required by law
  • A solid EIA can speed up approval and implementation of the project
  • EIA, through stakeholder engagement, can assist in building local support / acceptance for the project
  • A good EIA leads to better understanding of project risks and reduces chance of liabilities

Question 10

How does EIA lead to environmental management in companies?

Answer 10

• The EIA specifies potential impacts and required mitigation measures
• The company adjusts design of the factory and includes environmental measures
• The authorities verify if the measures have been taken
• The authorities establish the environmental permit
• The company complies with the permit and monitors performance
• The authorities check the operations (including monitoring system) and update / adjust where needed

Question 11

When can we expect companies to continuously enhance their environmental performance? To what degree will companies try to improve their environmental performance in the operation / implementation phase (e.g. during the regular lifetime of the factory) ?

Answer 11

• It depends ! –On:
  
  • How pro-active is the regulator ?
  • How knowledgeable is the regulator ?
  • How much pressure is there from the outside world ?
  • How the monitoring and reporting system set up ?
  • What are the opportunities provided within the company for improving the environmental performance ?
  • What is the company course set by the CEO ?
  • What is the motivation of the direct staff involved ?
  • How profitable is the operation ?

Question 12

How can ecosystem services be incorporated in an EIA?

Answer 12

• Environmental impacts may change the state/condition of the ecosystems in the environment and thereby reduce the capacity of these ecosystems to generate ecosystem services
• Impacts on ecosystem services are usually not included in an EIA

Question 13

When is there a risk that EIA is ineffective?

Answer 13

• When there is inadequate monitoring and quality control of the EIAs and the mitigation measures proposed
• When there is inadequate control if proposed mitigation measures are actually implemented (should be: incorporated in environmental permits, control if permit conditions are met, and enforced)
• When there is a new industrial activity and there is insufficient capacity at the national level (both at the government level and with consultants)
• Corruption…