EIA third year exam

Question 1

What year was EIA introduced in UK?

Answer 1

1988

Question 2

EIA is the responsibility of which department?

Answer 2

Communities and Local Government

Question 3

Who pays for EIA?

Answer 3

Polluter (developer)

Question 4

Name the IEMA special 2011 report

Answer 4

‘The State of Environmental Impact Assessment Practise in the UK’

Question 5

One issue IEMA report mentioned

Answer 5

Risk aversion, poor planning and commercial realities lead to broad scoping without focus and too long ES which is a burden

Question 6

Two practises recommended by IEMA to improve EIA

Answer 6

Communicating added value generated by EIA and delivery environmental outcomes that work now and in future

Question 7

Screening is…

Answer 7

deciding whether the nature and likely impacts are such that it should be submitted for formal assessment

Question 8

Who can decide if EIA needed without going through screening process?

Answer 8

The developer

Question 9

Example of project the government can exclude from EIA

Answer 9

National defence project

Question 10

Two approaches to screening are?

Answer 10

Use of thresholds and case-be-case examination

Question 11

Schedule 1 outlines projects listed in Annex I where EIA is mandatory. Examples include…

Answer 11

Airports with runways over 2,100m, crude-oil refineries and nuclear power stations

Question 12

Schedule 2 outlines projects listed in Annex II where EIA is required based on thresholds and criteria. Examples include…

Answer 12

Uncultivated or semi-natural land to be used for intensive agriculture if area exceeds 0.5 Ha, sugar factories with floorspace area over 1,000m2, golf courses exceeding 1 Ha

Question 13

Annex II based on likelihood of significance environmental effects. This is based on the three criteria of…

Answer 13

Scale, location (based on official designations, relative abundance and regenerative capacity) and potential of hazardous environmental effects

Question 14

Selection criteria in schedule 3 for screening of Annex II

Answer 14

Characteristics of development (e.g. risk to human health from pollution), location of development (e.g. abundance, availability, quality and regenerative capacity of natural resources such as water) and types and characteristics of potential impact (e.g. transboundary nature impacts)

Question 15

One issue the IEMA report found in regards to screening

Answer 15

Ineffective application of screening requirements is the most common area of legal challenge in EIA practise