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Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment. Myriam Raiche November 8, 2007. What is an EIA?. Simplified: EIA considers an action and its possible consequences A process and planning tool used for data gathering and decision making (public and private)

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Environmental Impact Assessment

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  1. Environmental Impact Assessment Myriam Raiche November 8, 2007

  2. What is an EIA? • 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

  3. Canadian Environmental Assessment Research Council Definition • 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)

  4. Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency • Purpose of EIA: • Minimize or avoid adverse environmental effects before they occur • Incorporate environmental factors into decision making

  5. Examples for Use of EIA • Physical projects: • Hydroelectric dam, wind farm, waste facility • Programs: • Renewable energy development scheme, recycling program • Policies: • Energy policy, waste management policy

  6. Types of EIA • Progression of EIA, from 1970s, into various environmental focuses: • Cumulative impact assessment • Social and economic assessment • Strategic impact assessment

  7. Jurisdictions & Regulations • 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

  8. Jurisdictions & Regulations • Local level: Regional and municipal regulations administered by local government and planning departments • Private: • Consultants, resource managers, planners, engineers, etc; sub-contracted or hired directly by developer and subject to same regulations

  9. EIA Approval • 4 assessment types described in the CEAA: • Screening & class screening • Comprehensive study • Mediation • Review panel

  10. 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

  11. Summary of Steps in EIA Process • Assessment • data collection, impact prediction, evaluation • Preparation, Submission, Review of EIA report • Decision/Recommendation • approval or rejection based on EIA report recommendations • Monitoring & Compliance • Parameters for maintaining and enforcing recommend

  12. Benefits • 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

  13. Challenges • 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

  14. Challenges • 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)

  15. References • 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.

  16. Questions? • 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?

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