Final Exam Flashcards
How many phases are there in the IAA (2019) process?
5
What are the phases in the IAA (2019) process?
- Planning
- Impact Statement
- Impact Assessment
- Decision-making
- Post-decision
What is the first phase of the IAA (2019) process? What does it involve?
- Planning
- Proponent submits Initial Project Description
- Agency prepares Summary of Issues
- Agency determines if an IA is required
- If so, agency issues draft plans and Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines
What is the second phase of the IAA (2019) process? What does it involve?
- Impact Statement
- Proponent submits Impact Statement
- Agency implements participation and engagement plans
- Agency posts notice to the CIAR (Canadian Impact Assessment Registry)
What is the third phase of the IAA (2019) process? What does it involve?
- Impact Assessment
- Agency conducts the Impact Assessment
- Agency develops Impact Assessment Report
- Agency implements more participation and engagement plans
What is the fourth phase of the IAA (2019) process? What does it involve?
- Decision-making
- The minister issues a decision statement with detailed reasons for the decision and any conditions
What is the fifth phase of the IAA (2019) process? What does it involve?
- Post-decision
- Proponent implements conditions outlined in the decision statement
- An Agency or regulator verified compliance with conditions
- Indigenous and community monitoring committees are implemented as needed
What are the different ways that a federal IA can be done?
IA can be done:
- By the Agency
- By a review panel (referred by minister)
- By another jurisdiction (substitution)
What federal minister is involved with IAA processes?
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change
How many phases are there in the BCEAA (2018) process?
7
What are the phases in the BCEAA (2018) process?
- Early Engagement
- Readiness Decision
- Process Planning
- Application Development and Review
- Effects Assessment and Recommendation
- Decision
- Post-Certificate Compliance
What is the first phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Early Engagement
- Proponent submits Initial Project Description
- EAO produces Summary of Engagement which outlines the approach to concerns
- Indigenous Nations can provide notice of participation
What is the second phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Readiness Decision
- Proponent submits Detailed Project Description
- Confirms readiness to begin EIA process, key issues are identified
- Indigenous Nations can dispute the decision
What is the third phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Process Planning
- EAO develops a Process Order that sets out the scope, procedures, and methods of the assessment
- Attached are the Regulatory Coordination Plan and Application Information Requirements
What is the fourth phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Application Development and Review
- Proponent develops Environmental Assessment Certificate Application
- Attached are the Certified Project Description and Technical Data Reports
- This is where the proponent assesses potential effects
What is the fifth phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Effects Assessment and Recommendation
- EAO conducts the assessment, drafts Assessment Report and Environmental Assessment Certificate
- Indigenous Nations can provide Notice of Consent or Dispute
- Recommendations are prepared and provided as part of a referral package
What is the sixth phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Decision
- Provincial Decision Makers can either issue or refuse the Environmental Assessment Certificate
- Reasons for the decision must be published
- If the decision does not align with the consent or dispute of the participating Indigenous Nations, detailed reasons must be provided
What is the seventh and last phase of the BCEAA (2018) process? What does it involve?
- Post-Certificate Compliance
- If an EAC is issued, post-certificate activities may include mitigation effectiveness reports, including audits, certificate amendments, extensions, and transfers
What is the order of mitigation desirability?
- Avoid (most desirable)
- Minimize (somewhat desirable)
- Restore/rehabilitate (less desirable)
- Compensate (least desirable)
What is the most desirable mitigation measure and why?
Avoid is most desirable, because it:
- Eliminates potential adverse effects at the source
- Involves planning and designing projects in a way that avoids environmental consequences
- Can involve changing the a project’s scope, location etc
What is the second and somewhat desirable mitigation measure and why?
Minimize is somewhat desirable, because it:
- Reduces impacts by designing projects/activities to reduce the size, intensity, duration, and extent of potential adverse effects
- Limits harm to individuals, communities, ecosystems, etc
What is the the third and less desirable mitigation measure and why?
Restore/rehabilitate is less desirable, as:
- It is necessary if impacts cannot be avoided or minimized before they occur
- Focus shifts to restore and rehabilitate affected areas to their pre-impact conditions
- Restoration aims to bring ecosystems back to full health and functionality
- Less desirable as impacts still happen
What is the least desirable mitigation measure and why?
Compensate is the least desirable, because
- Offsetting measures (compensation) is provided to attempt to counterbalance the residual impacts that were not or cannot be avoided, minimized, or restored.
- Does not address the root cause of negative impacts
- Not usually a fair replacement for effects
- Compensation can be monetary, physical, etc.
What are the types of effects considered in an assessment of a project?
Environmental, economic, social, heritage, health.
Both current, future, and cumulative effects are considered.
What are strengths of the BCEAA (2018)?
- Has a broad scope (examines many different types of projects and their effects)
- Has a clear set of steps (improves timeline predictability)
- Increased transparency (requires detailed reporting and public participation)
- Increased Indigenous engagement (compared to previous acts)
- Reviewable Projects Regulation (provides clear criteria on what projects are reviewable)
What are weaknesses of the BCEAA (2018)?
- Does not comprehensively include Indigenous ideas
- Does not adequately consider cumulative and long-term effects
- Can often be an extremely lengthly process (years, even decades)
- Needs better application of GBA (Gender-Based Analysis) to understand how people are differently affected by major projects
- Difficult to find a balance between economic development and environmental protection (one is always prioritized over the other)
What is GBA?
Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) uses a variety of methods to understand the relationships between gender identity groups, and how their identities affect their access to resources, activities, programs, involvement etc.
Why is GBA important in EIA?
In EIA, Gender-Based Analysis can tell us who has access, who has control, who is likely to benefit from a new initiative, and who is likely to lose.
