TEXT Flashcards
Environmental Impact Assessment originated in the ______ ______ _______ _____.
US National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) 1969-1970
EIA defines
The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating, and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.
“look before you leap”
The EIA is an integral component of sound decision making, serving both an information gathering and an analytical component, used to inform decision makers concerning the impacts and management of proposed developments.
Biophysical environment
air, water, land, plants, animals
Human Environment
Culture, health, community sustainability, employment, financial matters
Environmental Site Assessments
purpose is to determine the nature and extent of contaminant levels at a specific site and to identify clean-up and remediation plans.
Environmental Change vs. Environmental Effect(or Environmental Impact)
Change: is a temporal measure, and not all change is project-induced
- a process set in motion by particular project actions, other actions, or natural processes
- ex: road construction, dam construction contribute to environmental change
effect: is the difference between change conditions
- the difference in the condition of an environmental parameter under project-induced change versus what the condition might be in the absence of project induced change
-An impact are estimates or judgements of the value that society places on certain environmental effects or concerns about the difference between the quality of the environment with and without the proposed action
rationalist model of planning and decision making that emerged in the 1960’s: comprehensive approach 6 steps
- Defining the problem
- Setting goals and objectives
- indenifying options
- assessing the options
- implementing the preferred solution
- monitoring and evaluating
“represents a framework within which EIA is often used as a tool for planning and decision-making”
Spectrum of EIA philosophies: 5
- Analytical Science= EIA serves to inform decisions and enhance scientific understanding. Science in EIA is applied, experimental, and naturalistic
- Environmental Design= EIA serves to inform and influence design decisions. Science in EIA is applied environmental science for design and engineering.
- Information Provision= EIA serves to inform decisions. Science in EIA is largely based on the natural sciences, with limited role for social sciences.
- Participation= EIA is about participatory decision-making. There is an extensive role for both the natural and social sciences.
- Environmental governance= EIA is about deliberative democracy. Science in EIA is largely based on the social sciences, with limited role for the natural sciences.
APples Eaten In Paris Excellent
1,2,3= Applied Science
4,5= Civic Science
Output Objectives of an EIA
are the immediate, short term objectives of the EIA process
- can often be audited, measured, and attributed directly to the EIA process
- are realized during the EIA process itself
.Ensuring the environmental factors are explicitly addressed in decision making process concerning proposed developments
.improving the design of the proposed development
.anticipating, avoiding, minimizing, and offsetting the adverse effects relevant to development proposals on the human and biophysical environment
.ensuring proponent accountability and compliance with the relevant laws and regulations respecting development
.providing a means for public participation in the development process
.ensuring that information about potential impacts of the project is made available to the public and decision-makers
Outcome Objective of an EIA
are the longer term objectives that are the products of consistent and rigorous, long-term EIA application.
-difficult to measure, often subtle and difficult to associate directly with the EIA process itself.
.protecting the productivity and capacity of human and natural systems and ecological functions
.facilitating individual,organizational, and social learning
.increasing environmental awareness
.promoting sustainability
Environmental Impact Statement
describes the proposed development, the affected environment, likely impacts, and proposed actions to manage or monitor those impacts
today: ______ to ______ EIS’s are prepared annually in the US
30,000-50,000
Cost-Benefit Analysis(CBA)
is an approach to project assessment that expresses impacts in monetary terms.
-obvious drawbacks include inability to allocate meaningful dollar values to environmental and human intangibles and the limited scope of fiscal impacts traditionally addressed by CBA. EIA was used initially as an add-on to CBA.
EIA evolutionary transitions(3)
- Initial Development(pre 1970): “Develop now,minimize associated costs, if forced to clean up later”
- Broadening scope and techniques(1970’s-1980’s): Greater attention turned toward managing adverse project impacts and risks associated with particular actions, as apposed to creating large environmental inventories
-project ‘scoping’ was first introduced in an attempt to identify the important issues and data requirements for project assessment
-public review of projects emerged
-Advanced beyond just the biophysical world and started to recognize broader social and regional impacts - Project ‘scoping’ was introduced. Scoping limited EAs to a select set
of impacts and variables making them more manageable and useful
for decision making. (We will look more closely at this in Module 5) - Public review of project proposals was implemented.
- The importance of social impacts emerged
- Institutional Support and Integration(1980’s-2000): Formation of the International Association for Impact Assessments(IAIA)
- EIA became more inclusive in what defined ‘environment’ with economic and social aspects
- multiple spatial and temporal scales
IAIA was formed in ____.
1980
At the Canadian Federal level the primary focus of an EIA is…
on the adverse effects of a project or activity on the biophysical environment.
“Environment” according to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act means: physical components of the earth
These three provinces include a broader understanding in their definitions of the environment in regard to EIA’s
NF & L
ON
SK
Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA)
The concept of an environmental assessment that assesses policies, plans, and programs of a more strategic nature then those applicable to individual projects.
.helps in the understanding of the development context of a PPP, to identify problems and potentials, to address key trends, and to assess viable environmental and sustainable options.
-also addresses non-project impacts and cumulative environmental effects
SEA was formally established in Canada in ____
1990
Voisey’s Bay Mine-Mill Project in ____ was?
1997
The first major resource development project in Canada for which the impact statement guidelines for the project proponent explicitly identified the sustainability criterion., noting that the EIA should go beyond seeking to minimize damage to requiring that an undertaking maximize long-term, durable net gains to the community and the region.
Canada: EIA system
.Canada was the first to follow the US in NEPA beginnings formally implementing an EIA system in 1973
.Not until 1995 that EIA became a part of law
.each province has their own EIA system
Developing Nations and Development Agencies: EIA Systems
EIA is either performed in accordance with the countries EIA provisions or in order to comply with aid agencies requirements.
Operating Principles of EIA that define how the EIA process should unfold(6)
EIA should be applied:
..as early as possible in the planning and decision-making stages
..to all proposals that may generate significant adverse effects or about which there is significant public concern
..to all biophysical and human factors potentially affected by development, including health, gender, culture, and cumulative effects
…consistently with existing policies,plans, and programs and the principles of sustainable development
..in a manner that allows involvement of affected and interested parties in the decision-making process
..in accordance with local,regional,national, or international standards and regulatory requirements
Basic EIA Process 9 Steps
- Project Description- Includes alternatives
- Screening- determines whether project is subject to an EIA and who is reposible
- Scoping and Baseline assessment- analysis and delineation of key issues and the spatial and temporal boundaries
- Impact Assessment-Predictiona and evaluation of the potential environmental effects of the project, including cumulative effects
- Impact Management-development of environmental management or protection plans
- Significance determination- determination of the significance of the potential adverse environmental effects, taking into consideration the effectiveness of proposed impact management actions
- Submission and review of EIS- Technical and Public Review
- Recommendations and Decision
- Implementation and Follow up
P.S SONIA IS ILLEGALLY SUCKING SIMONS REAR INTESTINE
EIA’s can be quite ineffective and damaging if not used properly:6
- if it is not applied to projects with the potential to cause significant environmental affects or to projects with minor effects that may be cumulatively significant over time
- if proponents undertake an EIA late in the process
- if significant issues of concern are not included in the assessment
- if predictions of impacts are not accurate or not verifiable
- if decision-makers fail to use EIA results in making development decisions
- if the implementation of projects subject to EIA fails to follow through effectively with the sound environmental management plans developed through the EIA process
efficiency versus efficacy
doing things right
vs
doing the right things
Good governance is important to good EIA(4)
- Need trust between government and other stakeholders
- Disregarding Complexity: Need flexibility in standards of practice
- Remove bias for economic efficiency
- Less talk more action
Morgan PDF on Blackboard
.191 of the 193 member nations of the United Nations either have national legislation or have signed some form of international legal instrument that refers to the use of EIA
.Unfortunately, and notwithstanding
the above comments, not all countries have
introduced planning or development control legislation to require the routine use of EIA for proposed projects that might have significant environmental impacts. This gap was partly addressed by the World Bank group, which developed Safeguard Policies, including environmental and social assessment procedures, to guide funding decisions with respect to major projects in developing countries
.Equator Principles, which provide guidelines on the
use of EIA in relation to major project funding decisions
by the institutions
.
___ of 193 member nations of the UN have nation legislation about EIA
191
Equator Principle
Equator Principles, which provide guidelines on the
use of EIA in relation to major project funding decisions
by the institutions.
Social Impact Assessment(SIA)
SIA, for example, developed strongly in the late 1970s and 1980s because EIA, especially in the USA, was considered to have a strong biophysical emphasis, often neglecting social impacts (Taylor et al. 2004).
Health Impact Assessment(HIA)
HIA has emerged as a vigorous form of impact assessment, responding to a sense among many public health professionals that EIA did not adequately address project impacts on community and individual health (National Academy of Sciences 2011).
Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA)
SEA has been vigorously promoted as a way to extend
impact assessment to higher level decision-making at
policy, programme and plan levels, a reaction to the
project orientation of most EIA applications
Cumulative Effects Assessment(CEA)
. Very underdeveloped an underutilized in most countries: include the lack of clear understanding of what constitutes ‘cumulative’ effects, the lack of agreed approaches and methods for carrying out CEA, and the fact that most jurisdictions place the responsibility of addressing cumulative effects on project proponents
8 Reasons why Public Participation can hurt and fail a project
(1) Poor public knowledge of planning, legal and waste
licensing issues.
(2) Poor provision of information.
(3) Poor access to legal advice.
(4) Mistrust of the waste disposal industry.
(5) ‘Not in my back yard’ (NIMBY) syndrome.
(6) Failure to influence the decision-making process.
(7) Poor execution of participation methods.
(8) Regulatory constraints.
Fuggle PDF
1. Technical and scientific competence and political processes are equally important in impact assessment. If one aspect is stressed at the expense of the other, the entire enterprise is weakened. Environmental and social impact assessment is certainly intended to empower the marginalized and to promote inclusive planning and governance, but it is also required to be technically and scientifically accurate and robust and to be pragmatic with respect to costs. Impact assessments should contribute to debate and a search for optimum solutions based on holistic and integrated decisions mutually acceptable to all affected parties 2. In the modern world we all suffer from information overload. Impact assessments should not make this worse! Encyclopedic impact assessment reports should be taboo. Shorter focused studies and reports that deal with the issues that will affect the decision should be the aim. Sometimes predominantly social analyses will be needed, sometimes predominantly economic or technical analyses will be needed. Studying and reporting on issues that will have no bearing on the decision to be made serves only to inflate costs and to increase skepticism as to the value of impact assessments. Genuine scoping that involves all role players early in the decision-making cycle is essential. 3. Follow-up is an integral part of the impact assessment process, but it is the element that is most often being ignored. Impact assessment without follow-up creates the illusion of environmental responsibility, when in fact no one is defending the public interest or the environment. When this happens disillusionment with the IA process sets in. Adequate provision of personnel and budget for monitoring and follow-up of the terms and conditions set in EIAs or in Records of Decision is in urgent need of attention throughout the world. 4. If governments, at all levels, continue to regard impact assessments as a largely bureaucratic and administrative exercise that they can apply, rework or ignore as they deem fit, impact assessments will not contribute to sustainability or gain in credibility. All levels of government need to be reminded that they have a moral duty, as well as international obligations under numerous conventions, to safeguard the well being of their citizens and the environment. 5. Impact assessments are not “magic bullets” to solve all social and political problems. The benefits of impact assessment should not be over-stated and their limitations must be recognized. Linking the EIA process closely to urban and land-use planning so that the two disciplines interweave and complement each other is also highly desirable. Situations in which environmental impact assessment and landuse planning are uncoordinated or in which they compete with each other are counter-productive and must be avoided.
Techniques
are often predictive tools to provide data that are then collated, arranged, interpreted, and presented according to the organizational principles of the methods used
Gaussian dispersion model
provides information on some parameter such as the anticipated dispersion of air pollutants from a specific industrial development;those data are then organized and serve as input to a particular assessment method, such as a impact matrix, by which the practitioner evaluates, interprets, and presents the data to aid in decision-making.
“Good-practice”
is about knowing which tool is best for the moment
Two reasons for tools in EIA
- Organize information for the purpose of impact identification, interpretation, and communication
- predict environmental impacts
Checklists(sometimes called screening checklists or initial environmental evaluations)
.simplest tool
.are comprehensive lists of environmental effects or indicators of environmental impacts designed to stimulate thinking about the possible consequences of a proposed action.
.commonly used to development proponents in complying with EIA process
.might be used to help determine whether an EIA is needed
.
Programme-Text Checklists
.similar to a questionnaire checklist and typically contains a series of questions to be answered
.best suited for relatively routine undertakings
.are typically not comprehensive of all potential impacts and as a result all impacts are considered
.are often impractical to use if comprehensive
.often too general and not tailored to specific project environments
.do not evaluate effects either quantitatively or qualitatively
.are subjective and qualitative, meaning that different assessors may reach different conclusions
.do not consider underlying environmental systems or cause-and-effect relationships and hence provide no conceptual understanding of impacts
Matrices
are essentially two-dimensional checklists that consist of project activities on one axis and potentially affected environmental components on the other
.most commonly used tools for impact identification and communication and are particularly useful for identifying first-order relationships between specific activities and impacts, aswell as for providing a visual aid for impact summaries
disadvantages: can often be large and difficult to complete, and the volume of information can make them difficult to understand
two most basic types: magnitude and interaction matrices
magnitude matrices
.provide a summary of impacts according to their magnitude, importance, or time-frame
.Best known and most comprehensive: Leopold Matrix
.weighted magnitude matrices: assign some measure of importance to each of the affected environmental components
-very subjective
Interaction Matrices
.use multiplicative properties of simple matrices to generate a quantitative impact score of the proposed project on interacting environmental components
2 types: component and weighted impact(ex: peterson matrix) interaction matrices
.Peterson matrix consits of three individual component matrices: one depicting impacts of project actions or casual factors on environmental components, a matrix depicting the impacts of the resultant environmental change on the human environment, and a vector of weights or relative importance of those human components
Network or System Diagrams
are based on the notion that links and pathways of interaction exist between individual components of the environment such that when on component is affected, the result will be an effect on other components that interact with it
Spatial Analysis
refers to the study of phenomena based on their properties.
EX: GIS
Tools for Impact prediction
.Analogue Approaches-present at the beginning of almost every project, examination of other projects
Judgement:nature and quality of expert judgement
-delphi technique
Systems Modelling: models are simplifications of real-world environmental systems
-Mechanistic, Deterministic, and Stochastic Models
-Mechanistic: describe casuse-effect relationships in the project environmetn using flow diagrams or equations.
Deterministic Models depend on fixed relationship between environmental components and provide a signle solution for the state variables.
EIA theory and objectives
the primary purpose of an EIA is to facilitate the consideration of environment in planning and decision-making and, ultimately to make it possible to arrive at decisions and subsequent actions that are more environmentally sustainable.
EIA origins in N.A
1960’s-recognition of the conection of growing industries that are inherently connected to environment
-brought about need for legislation
First 10 years of NEPA ____ EIS’s were carried out, currently about _____-______ EIS’s are prepared annually in the states
1000
40,000-50,000
IAIA
International Association for Impact Assessment
- created in 1980
- a way for global participants to interact and learn
Sustainability Initiatives in EIA
In priciple an EIA should serve as an integrated planning tool for decision-making characterized by intergrating cumulative and global environmental effects, empowering the public, recognizing uncertainties, favouring a precautionary and adaptive approach, and makiing a positive contribution to sustainability.
-Unfortunately, the role of the EIA is generally used to minimize adverse effects as opposed to ensuring overall, sustainability
• EA has emerged as an ‘integrated planning tool’
• There is increased emphasis on assessing ‘cumulative environmental
effects’ (we will look more closely at this in Module 11)
• There are explicit attempts to integrate ‘traditional ecological
knowledge’ into the assessment process
• There is the emerging interest in conducting environmental
assessment for policies, plans and programs (SEA)
• There is emphasis on making a ‘positive contribution to sustainability’
EFFECTIVENESS of an EIA is determined by
the extent to which it identifies, assesses, and finds ways to mitigate or eliminate the potential negative impacts of development and, importantly, how well EIA helps to improve environmental management and ultimately the state of the environment
Dimensions of the environment (7)
Local project environment; regional environmental system; national environment, multi- national environment
• Past environmental conditions; current state of the environment; future trends
Environmental Change
is the difference in the condition of a
particular environmental or socio-economic parameter (usually measurable) over a specified period of time
Environmental Impact
• Environmental impact is an effect that has a societal value placed
on it.
Environmental Effect
Environmental effect is the change difference – the difference in
the condition of an environmental parameter under projectinduced
change vs what that condition might be in the absence of
project-induced change
ESA:
Environmental Site Assessment
Phase I ESA: report prepared for a property identifying contamination
liabilities or likelihood of contamination (e.g. hydrocarbons, heavy metals)
Phase II ESA: site sample collection and analysis (e.g. soils, materials) to quantity contamination levels
Phase III ESA: report prepared to detail clean-up or site remediation and monitoring
Calvert Cliffs ex:
First NEPA case: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission 1972
• Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Chesapeake Bay
• Project denied permit because no independent environmental review and hearing had taken place
Broadening Scope and Technique in the 19__-19__ meant:
3 important innvations
Broadening scope and techniques: Greater attention turned toward managing adverse project impacts and risks associated with particular actions, as apposed to creating large environmental inventories
-project ‘scoping’ was first introduced in an attempt to identify the important issues and data requirements for project assessment
-public review of projects emerged
-Advanced beyond just the biophysical world and started to recognize broader social and regional impacts
1. Project ‘scoping’ was introduced. Scoping limited EAs to a select set
of impacts and variables making them more manageable and useful
for decision making. (We will look more closely at this in Module 5)
2. Public review of project proposals was implemented.
3. The importance of social impacts emerged
Instituational Support and Integration
There was rapid growth in EA from the early 1980s to the turn of
the 21st century. Some very important improvements emerged. • International support through such organizations as the World
Commission on Environment and Development and the World Bank
became important. • EA finally commenced prior to project development. • There also emerged a recognized need for monitoring actual
environmental change after the project is developed, and to hold
proponents accountable to their commitments to impact
management!
EIA Benefits(5)
• Managing the impacts of development
• Improving project planning and design (i.e., good environmental
planning starts very early in the development process)
• Cost savings to proponents through the early identification of
potential issues (e.g., another example of why environmental
planning is so important)
• Early compliance with environmental standards
• Increased public understanding and acceptance through participation and demonstrated environmental and socioeconomic responsibility.
Suggestions for overcoming skepticism of EIA process(5)
FUGGLE PDF
1.). Technical and scientific competence and political processes are equally important in impact assessment 2.) In the modern world we all suffer from information overload. Impact assessments should not make this worse! 3.). Follow-up is an integral part of the impact assessment process, but it is the element that is most often being ignored. 4.)If governments, at all levels, continue to regard impact assessments as a largely bureaucratic and administrative exercise that they can apply, rework or ignore as they deem fit, impact assessments will not contribute to sustainability or gain in credibility. 5.)Impact assessments are not “magic bullets” to solve all social and political problems.
6 Challenges to EIA
• Different stakeholders have many different expectations of what EA is and what it is
supposed to deliver.
• There is a struggle to develop frameworks to assess and effectively manage the effects
of multiple projects within a single region.
• Many environmental effects occur beyond the scope and scale of the individual
project, at the regional scale.
• Cultural, language, and local knowledge systems often do not mesh well with the
current western science approach to EA.
• There is limited monitoring and follow-up once projects are implemented.
• Institutional support for EA is not consistent, limited in many regions, and often heavily
influenced by politics.
_______ Environmental Assessment Act (1975) was the first provincial
EIA system enacted in Canada
Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act (1975) was the first provincial
EIA system enacted in Canada
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 brought big changes (7)
- There are now only three responsible authorities (RA) for EIA: the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency (the majority of the assessments), the
National Energy Board, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The
previous Act had many federal departments and agencies which could be
designated as an RA. - Elimination of small projects: Three levels of assessment existed under the
previous Act (Screening EIA, Comprehensive Study EIA, and Review Panel
EIA). About 90% of the projects had been assessed using a federal screening
EIA, but these are now excluded. The new Act focuses on designated
projects – which are those deemed likely to cause significant adverse
environmental effects on matters of direct federal responsibility. The new
Act is much more restrictive in determining which projects may require assessment. - Delegation, substitution and equivalency: To reduce duplication of
assessments under different jurisdictions, the new ACT has the ability to
delegate another jurisdiction to carry out the EIA process and the ability to
substitute a provincial or Aboriginal EIA process for federal assessment and
to a provision for equivalency. - Established time limits: The new Act has time limits placed on the EIA
process for both standard assessments and panel reviews. For example, a
standard assessment now must adhere to a 365 day time limit and a panel
review to a two-year time limit. These limits apply to the regulatory process
(i.e., the involvement of the government) and does not include the time
required by the proponent to complete the required studies and reporting. - Changes to the definition of “environmental effect”: To many, this is a very
significant change. An environmental effect under the former Act included
any change that the project could cause in the environment, as well as the
social and economic effects of such change. Under the new Act, and
environmental effect includes a change to a component of the environment
that is under federal jurisdiction, such as fish or migratory birds; change that
may be caused on federal lands or outside the province where the project is
be carried out; and effects on Aboriginal peoples of a change to the environment. 6. Focus on “Interested Parties”: Under the new Act, participation in public
hearings is restricted to interested parties, which comprise members of the
public that are directly affected by the proposed project as well as those
with relevant information or expertise that can support the panel in its assessment. - Enforcement: provisions under the new Act mean that the decision
statement issued about the project by the Minister, including any conditions
about impact mitigation or other commitments made by the proponent, are now enforceable.
EIA: Methods definition
Methods – are tools concerned with impact characterization
concerned with the various aspects of assessment such as the identification
and description of impacts
primarily serve to organize, classify, and communicate information and
support decision making
EIA: Techniques definition
Techniques – are tools concerned with impact prediction
concerned with data collection and generation, which are then collated,
arranged, analyzed, presented and sometimes interpreted according to the
methods being used
e.g. a pollution dispersion model (technique) may generate data about
potential project emissions, which are then used in an assessment matrix
(method) to classify potential effects and make project decisions
Checklists
- Checklists
• comprehensive lists of effects or indicators of environmental impacts
• typically used to ‘screen’ project actions, ensure compliance, etc
• systematically promote thinking about the range of potential issues and
impacts
• Box 3.1 in the text (next slide) provides an example of a “programmed-text checklist”. While this type of checklist is useful for relatively routine projects
(e.g., bridge modification, municipal land development), they do have their
disadvantages.
Disadvantages: • Often not comprehensive so miss some impacts • If comprehensive become difficult to use • Often too general • Don’t evaluate quantitatively or qualitatively Advantages: • Efficient, easy to use, and promotes thinking – good for screening.
Matrices
- Matrices
• Are two-dimensional checklists
• typically consist of affected environmental components on one
axis, and project actions on the other axis
Magnitude matrices: synthesize project impacts and
based on their magnitude, importance, and other impact
characteristics
Interaction matrices: based on the multiplicative
properties of matrices to calculate impacts based on
impact interactions
Trends and Associations
- Trends and Associations
• Understanding trends and associations is an important part of EIS
baseline assessment. It is important to identify sequential causeeffect
linkages.
• Impact network or system diagrams are based upon the idea that
links and pathways of interaction exist between individual
components of the environmnet such that when one component
is affected there will result an effect on other components that
interact with it (Cooper 2012).
Spatial Analysis
- Spatial Analysis
• This refers to the study of phenomena based on their
topological, geometric or geographic properties
• In EIA the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the
practice most commonly used. • GIS is not only used to visually illustrate the study area, but
provides tools to evaluate biophysical and socio-economic
opportunities and constraints and make relevant comparisons
between route alternatives, for example. • It can be particularly useful in the early environmental planning
stages of a proposed project.
spatially-explicit approach to impact
identification/ assessment typically operationalized in a
Geographic Information System project activities or zones of disturbance are ‘overlain’ with areas of habitat sensitivity or zones of human settlement or land use visually informative and allows
spatial representation of impacts
particularly useful when assessing
land-use projects to identify
potentially conflicting land-use
patterns or to identify optimal
locations
4 Common methods for impact identification, interpretation and
communication
Useful as systematic aids to the EIA process
- most commonly used for synthesis of info
1. Checklists 2. Matrices 3. Trends & Associations 4. Spatial Analysis
4 Tools for Impact prediction
- Analogue approaches
- Judgement
- Systems Modelling
- Scenario Analysis
Analogue approaches
• examination of similar projects
• always a ‘starting point’ – learn from experiences
• learning about project design, impacts, and management measures from one
project to transfer to the project under consideration Limitation: • biophysical, and especially socioeconomic environments are not always
directly comparable
Advantage: • efficient and inexpensive method
• can draw upon experience and lessons from similar projects
jUDGEMENT
- Judgment • The successful application of many EIA methods
often relies heavily on the nature and quality of
expert judgment. • Methods used vary from very unstructured and
ad hoc (e.g., roundtable discussions) to highly
structured and organized techniques such as the
Delphi technique.
Expert Judgement:most commonly used method (and technique) in EA practice
used either ‘stand alone’ or in combination with other methods (e.g.
expert-based impact matrices)
. Delphi Technique
Delphi Technique
An iterative survey-type questionnaire where individuals are asked
to express a view, provide an assessment score, rank a set of
options, etc.
• the group’s ‘average’ response is then calculated and fed back
to the individual participants, providing them with an opportunity
to revise their response based on the group’s response
• the Delphi can be used to find consensus on an issue, or to find
areas of dissent
• typically, only two survey rounds following the initial survey round
are used as consent has been shown to change little beyond two
iterations
Systems Modelling
- Systems Modelling
• Models are simplified representations of a system, including
causal mechanisms. They are based on explicit assumptions
about the behaviour of the system and they are very datademanding.
• Mechanistic models: describe cause-effect relationships using
flow diagrams or mathematical equations (e.g. Gaussian
dispersion model for predicting rates and extents of pollution
fallout from an emission stack; economic base multipliers)
• Deterministic models: depend on a fixed relationship between
components and provide a single solution for the state variables
(e.g. gravity model of spatial interaction); uncertainty and
variability are not explicitly modelled
Scenario Analysis
- Scenario Analysis
• Scenarios are a hypothetical sequence of events about change in
a set of conditions over a defined period of time, depicting what
could be if particular trends and rates of change unfold • Scenarios are not predictions per se, but rather contingency
statements about what ‘could’ happen under specified
circumstances. • Refer to Box 3.8 of the text.
Three points to keep in mind regarding the use of expert judgement
No clear relationship between expert use and quality
consensus is not what is needed but, diverse groups of experts should debate the issue coming to conclusions and differing options
emphasis placed on the consitency of expert judgements
Louis Riel Trail Highway Twinning Project
ex of scenario-multi criteria analysis
- structured approach to decision analysis, was used to evaluate alternative impact mitigation options based on the input of a panel of government and non-government experts in wetland conservation
- 5 scenarios were examines
backcasting
working in reverse in order to ensure implementation of future positive movement
When selecting tools special attention should be payed to : 9
objectives time availability resource availability Data availability Robustness Nature of project Selectivity comparability transparency
SCREENING
Screening is a means to determine whether a proposed
undertaking requires an EA and serves to establish the level of
assessment to be undertaken.
4 types of triggers for EIA
In order for an EIA to be required, something must ‘trigger’ the
process.
• Triggers can be ‘discretionary’, whereby each action or decision is judged
based on specified criteria or standards. Such criteria or standards may be
identified in legislation or regulations. This is referred to as case-by-case
screening.
• Triggers are sometimes ‘prescriptive’, whereby actions or decisions that
require an EA are listed in various regulations or legislation. This is referred to as list-based screening.
• Threshold-based screening is a third approach that involves the use of
thresholds (e.g., project size, level of emissions generated) to determine if an
EIA is triggered.
.Hybrid Screening approach
• List-based and threshold-based approaches are efficient and
widely used methods. However, list-based approaches, in
particular, should be used cautiously. For example, this approach
may not consider, among others: • Context • Out-of-date thresholds
• Regional differences
• A hydrid approach is a threshold-based screening system with
allowances for case-by-case consideration.
case by case screening
Case-by-case Screening (discretionary screening)
• Screening the need for EA based on the potential for significant
adverse impacts
• Each proposed activity evaluated for its potential to trigger
certain regulations or guidelines, or to cause certain concerns.
For example: • Will it affect a rare, endangered, or threatened species?
• Will it affect wetland habitat?
• Will the effect last for more than one generation?
• There is no list of projects for which an EA is required
• Each case is considered based on its own merit
List Based Screening
Often includes:
• legal definitions of proposals or undertakings to which EA does or
does not apply. For example:
• an exclusion list for which EAs are not required
• an inclusion list of all projects for which an EA is required
• Inclusion and exclusion lists were typically used in Canada under
the former Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Threshold Based Screening
This approach is typically used in conjunction with list-based
screening and involves placing proposed projectys into categories
and setting thresholds for each type (e.g., project size, population
effected, level of emissions generated, etc.).
-can be misleading as a project may barely be under the threshold yet cause just as much damage as one just over the threshold
Hybrid Screening Approach
3 Threshold Types
• List-based and threshold-based approaches are efficient and
widely used methods. However, list-based approaches, in
particular, should be used cautiously. For example, this approach
may not consider, among others:
• Context
• Out-of-date thresholds
• Regional differences
• A hydrid approach is a threshold-based screening system with allowances for case-by-case consideration.
3 Threshold Types:
Inclusive(EIA Always Required),
Exclusive(EIA not Required unless in sensitive areas), Indicative(Case-By-Case)
What would you identify as the main advantages and limitations to the ‘list-based’ approach to determining the need for EA?
Advantages:
+ Straight-forward, clear requirements + Widely used, easy to understand + Easily enforceable (not debatable in the legal sense) + Efficiency in screening + Consistency in application
Disadvantages:
- Can circumvent thresholds by proposing development slightly below the threshold; the effects are no different! - Does not provide for context specific considerations (e.g. compounding impacts, sensitivity of local environment)
- Project lists quickly become outdated
- Outdated (or incorrect) thresholds
Advantages and limitations to the ‘case-by-case’ approach
Advantages:
+ Dynamic + Can be tailored to specific environments, contexts, and sensitivities + Can integrate impacts of past actions or developments, and consider proposal
in light of future developments and cumulative impacts
Disadvantages:
- Each application is ‘start from scratch’ - Can be time consuming
- Danger of inconsistencies
- Can be difficult to defend (legally)
Designated Project Under CEAA
• A designated project means physical activities that are:
• Carried out in Canada or on federal lands,
• designated by the Regulations Designating Physical Activities, or
designated in an order by the Minister of the Environment, AND
• Linked to the same federal authority as specified in those regulations
or that order.
Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 there are
three Resposible Authorities(RAs):
• The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is responsible for the majority of activities designated under the Act except:
• The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is the RA for activities
regulated under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.
• The National Energy Board is the RA for activities under the
National Energy Board Act and the Canada Oil and Gas
Operations Act.
If a project is designated under the Canadian Nucleur Safety Commision or National Energy Board it must have an EIA done
T OR F
T
Environmental Effects as defined by CEAA 2012 in comparison to the old act
Now: only environmental effects, expanded if involving Aboriginals
-also if Federal government is proponent itself
Past: Included environment, social, and economic effects
Two Main Assessment Options for CEAA
There are two main assessment options once an “EIA is required
decision” is made under the Canadian system:
1. EIA by responsible authority
2. EIA by a review panel: A review panel is a group of experts
appointed by the Minister of the Environment. This method is used
only if the environmental effects are uncertain or potentially
significant, or if the Minister determines that public concern warrants it. • Under both types the Agency and the Minister can apply
substitution or equivalency, whereby another jurisdiction (e.g., a
provincial EA process) can be delegated responsibility for the EIA.
5 Things to consider when Screening
• Will some component of the project reach a specified threshold?
For example, will it exceed some air emissions standard?
• Is the project site “environmentally sensitive” or is it adjacent to
one that is?
• Does the project involve known dangers or risks?
• Will it contribute to cumulative effects? (for example, will it be
another potentially polluting or noisy project in an environment
that already have others?)
• Are there other circumstances that might be of concern? E.g.,
requires a large labour force in an area that isn’t capable of
supporting a huge influx of people)
Precautionary Principle In Screening
• The screening stage is pivotal in EA as it ensures that activities that are ‘likely’
to cause significant environmental effects are assessed. However, the
suggested approach is to err on the side of caution, and adopt a precautionary
approach to screening:
• precautionary principle: when scientific information is incomplete, but
there is threat of adverse impact, lack of full certainty should not be used
as a reason to preclude actions to prevent harm
• A major challenge in screening based on precaution, however, is that avoiding
harm in the absence of evidence does not always sit well with the ethos of EA,
which advocates that decisions should be made only on the basis of sound information!
Screening determines and can select 4 options
No EIA
Yes EIA
Limited EIA and Mitigation
Further Study is needed
Inclusion list
Exclusion List
any project that has mandatory or discretionary requirements of an EIA
any project that would generally require an EIA but are excluded/excused for varoius reasons
This type of system was used under the last Environmental Assessment Act
The World Bank uses _________-_____ ________, yet uses flexibility in designation in order to avoid those just under requirements
Threshold–based screening
Inclusive Threshold
Inclusive(EIA Always Required),
Exclusive Threshold
Exclusive(EIA not Required unless in sensitive areas),
Indicative Threshold
Indicative(Case-By-Case)
_____ _____ ______ Act is the Federal Act resposible for anything to do with water crossings, oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks, etc.
Navigable Waters Protection Act
“Screening EIA”
systematically documents potential environmental effects of a proposed prject, identifies mitigation, and determines the need to modify the project plan or recommends further assessment to eliminate or minimize those effeccts
- done under the old act
- 99% of EIA’s under old act were “screening EIA”
- eliminated because some idiots believed it was a waste of time
Petroleum and Gas In Saskatchewans Grassland Example
screening out small prjects
- Individual P&G rarely require a EIA because of the size of the project
- 30,000 P&G wells operating in the prarie ecozone
- when added up many small projects can have a lerge impact
Scoping: Explain and name both types
• Scoping:
• is determining the important issues and parameters that should be
addressed in an EA;
• is about focusing the EA on relevant issues and concerns; and
• helps identify the components of the biophysical and human
environment potentially affected by the project and for which there is
scientific and public concern.
• Closed scoping: the content and scope of the EIA are
predetermined by law. Modifications are made between the
proponent and the regulatory agency or responsible authority.
• Open scoping: the content and scope of the EIA are determined
by a transparent process based on consultation with various
interests and publics.
Scoping Process Helps to:(6)
• establish the spatial, temporal and other boundaries;
• ensure input from potential stakeholders early in the process;
• identify relevant public, scientific issues, concerns, and components;
• reduce the volume of unnecessarily comprehensive data and
information;
• avoid a standard inventory format that may miss key elements or
issues; and
• ensure that the EIA is designated to maximize information quality for
decision-making purposes.
Oil in Eden: The battle to protect Canada’s Pacific Coast ex: Northern Gateway Project
Enbridge wants to bring supertankers into inner port
- would expand the tar sands
- many stakeholder and rightsholders groups against it
- channels would be strongly affected by loud acoustics of supertankers
- oil spill would be inevitable
Example of Scoping
Main Steps in Scoping
• Scope the project alternatives (alternative to;
alternative means);
• Identify valued environmental components (VECs);
• Delineate the assessment spatial and temporal
boundaries;
• Establish the environmental baseline and trends
(past; present; future; stressors);
• Identify potential impacts and issues of concern.
2 types of Alternatives
“Alternatives to” the project
• different ways of meeting the need and purpose of the described project
• alternatives to a proposed project are typically limited in practice to the
‘no project’ alternative
• The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, unlike its predecessor, does not require the assessment of “alternatives to” the
project. However, this can be considered by the Minister on a case-by- case basis.
“Alternative means” for the project can be effectively addressed at the scoping
stage.
• different options for carrying out a project
• typically include feasible alternative ways a project can be implemented, such as technical or engineering design or alternative locations
-Location or design
• Refer to Box 5.2 of the text for an “alternative means”
example for the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline project.
VEC’s
Valued Environmental Components (VECs) are those
aspects of the environment, physical and human,
considered to be important from scientific or public
perspectives and thus warrant detailed consideration in
the impact assessment.
• Rather than wasting time and resources on
comprehensive baseline studies it is more effective to
focus environmental baseline studies on the VECs most likely to be affected.
- VECs are most often chosen based upon a proponents need to address eposure to liability(ex: fisheries act and species at risk act)
- There are generally a greater variet of VECS when public consultation is used in the Scoping portion
Scoping and VEC’s
Scoping and VECs
• Understanding the baseline data for both the biophysical and
human environments is important!!
• Important to realize the EA is NOT about collecting baseline data
for the purpose of a descriptive “environmental study”
• Scoping is needed to establish clear boundaries for spatial and
temporal assessment based upon the important components of
the environmental baseline.
Two important questions should be asked prior to moving forward
and collecting detailed baseline environmental data:
- Is the VEC likely to be affected, directly or indirectly, by project activities?
If no, then there is no need to compile a comprehensive baseline about that VEC. This is not to say that the VEC should be discarded, as it may still be of significant public concern and warrant some consideration in the impact assessment process.
2.Is it possible to predict impacts on the VEC, on indicators of that VEC, or to relate either quantitatively or qualitatively project induced change to VEC conditions?
If no, the VEC should be given relatively low priority unless it is a VEC of significant public value
VEC indicators(2 types)
Indicators provide a sign or signal regarding change in VEC conditions and, more importantly, can provide an early warning of a potential adverse effect. Two broad types are:
• Condition-based indicators: focus on a specific indicator (e.g.,species abundance) and provides direct, measurable information about the condition or state of the VEC.
• Stress-based indicators: also referred to as disturbance-based indicators; focus on measurable stress that affects the VEC (e.g.,increased stream crossing density).
VEC Proxies
VEC indicators can be proxys or measurable parameters that provide an indication, quantitatively or qualitatively, of a VEC condition/ change. For example:
• parameters of air quality, employment rates as an indicator of community health
• roads/km2 as a proxy for development
• impervious surfaces/km2 for water quality
• They allow decision makers to gauge environmental change
• They provide information about the functioning of a specific system, for a specific purpose
