Chapter 4: The EIA Process

Registration and Screening

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 Registration and Screening
The first step - registration
•
Registration

–
first step in any project planning process;

–
A proponent registers a project with the planning authority;

–
It is part of obtaining official permission for a project

–
The planning authority refer it to regulatory authorities;

• include the authority responsible for EIA regulation and review

–
The EIA regulator will then screen the project.

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 Screening

Screening is:

A process of determining the need for, and
level of, environmental impact assessment


Thus, the purpose of screening in EIA is to
determine:
–
whether or not a proposal requires an EIA
–
what level of EIA is required

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 Roles of Screening in EIA
•
Undertaking screening helps to:
–
ensure all projects with potentially significant
impacts are subject to an EIA,
–
focus resources on those projects most likely to
have significant impacts;
–
avoid the unnecessary expense of a full EIA
for a project which does not need it.

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 Outcomes of Screening
Three decisions are possible:

Full scale EA – when sufficient ground for detail
assessment

Preliminary Assessment - this is for:
• Projects with limited impacts,
• Projects in which the need of EA is unclear, and
• Proposals with inadequate information


No EA required

NB –Seldom to reject the project, for completely inappropriate

projects, like, building a multi-storey hotel in a national park.
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 Screening and scoping compared
Screening
 determines the requirement for EIA
 establishes the level of review necessary (full or
limited/no EIA?)

Scoping
 identifies the key issues and impacts
 establishes the ToR of EIA;

 The two overlap when further study is undertaken

for screening, establishing the basis for scoping,

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 Screening Approach

Prescriptive or standardized approach:


proposals subject to or exempt from EIA are
defined or listed in legislation and regulations;
and


Discretionary or customized approach:


proposals are screened on an individual or case-
by-case base, using indicative guidance.

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 Screening methods


Legal (or policy) definition

inclusion list of projects/Checklists
criteria

pre-arranged lists of projects subjected
to EIAs.

criteria for case-by-case screening

focuses on sensitive areas, such as
wetlands, Polluted area, Marine ecosystem, Watershed
reserve areas

exclusion list of Activities

Indicating all proposals subjected to EIA 8
Framework for Screening

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 Extended screening

Initial environmental evaluation or

examination (IEE)


Environmental overview


Class screening

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Typical proposals requiring a full EIA
•
With likely significant adverse environmental
impacts
•
Some lists of projects under Ethiopian government,
include

River basin development

watershed management

water management projects for agriculture
(drainage, irrigation)

Surface water fed irrigation projects covering
more than 100 hectares

ground water fed irrigation projects more
than 100 hectares

River diversions and water transfers between11
 Projects Requiring Preliminary Environmental Impact
Study
•
Small - Scale Activities and Enterprises:
–
Rain water harvesting
–
Rural water supply and sanitation
–
Land drainage (small scale)
–
Sewerage system
–
Fish culture
–
Urban Livestock Keeping
–
Urban agriculture
–
Fish landing stations
–
Wood carving and sculpture

List the remaining project (under the Ethiopian
Government)
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 Projects that may not require EIA

Social infrastructure and services
• Educational facilities (small scale)
• Medical centre (small scale)
• Family planning

Economic infrastructure and services
• Telecommunication

Production Sector

Irrigation
• Surface water fed irrigation covering less than 50
hec
• Ground water fed irrigation covering less than 50
hec

Agriculture
• All small scale agricultural activities
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 Extended Screening-Location and
environmental criteria
The following are important in determining
significant effects:
¨
assimilative capacity of the natural environment

¨
environmental sensitivity, e.g. wetlands, coastal and
mountain zones

¨
environmental quality standards and objectives

¨
adjacent to protected or designated areas

¨
within landscapes of special heritage value

¨
existing land use(s) and commitments

¨
abundance and quality of natural resources 14
 Extended Screening-Information required by
decision-makers


description of the proposal


conditions and characteristics of the environment,


applicable policy, planning and regulatory

objectives/standards


identification of potential impacts


degree of public concern and interest about the
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 An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)


describes the proposal


considers alternatives


addresses the concerns of the community


identifies potential environmental effects


establishes mitigation measures


includes monitoring and follow up (as necessary)

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 Introduction: Scoping

Early step- begins once screening completed


It is an open, interactive process – involves the
public stakeholder

 It lays the foundation of an EIA – by identifying

- Significant effects and factors to be considered

- boundaries of the EIA studies

- important issues of concerns

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 Roles and Objectives of Scoping in EIA
• Find out their concerns;
• Inform and identify stakeholders;
• Define feasible and practical alternatives;
• Identify main issues and impacts to be addressed;
• Define boundaries of the EIA studies
(time/space/subject matter);
• Describe sources, techniques and use of baseline in
the EIA study;
• Establish the Terms of Reference for an EIA study.

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 Guiding Principles for conducting
scoping

Recognize scoping is a process; it is not a
discrete activity/event


design the scoping process for each
proposal,


start early, as soon as your information
permits


prepare information package or circular
explaining the proposal and the process
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 Principles…Cotn’d


Specify the role of the public in decision-
making


Take a systematic approach, and implement
flexibly


Document the results to guide preparation
of EIA report


respond to new information and issues raised as
necessary

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 Steps in the Scoping Process

prepare an outline scope

develop the outline through informal consultation

make the outline available


compile the range of concerns (long list)


evaluate these to establish key issues (short list)


organise these into impact categories (study list)


amend the outline to incorporate the above
information


develop Terms of Reference 21
How to undertake scoping: Methods
Which impacts should be considered?
–
Impacts during construction, operation, and
decommissioning.
–
On-site and off site impacts.
–
All types - social, biological, and physical.

Scoping is often undertaken using:

–
Checklists.
–
Cause and effect diagrams and networks.
–
Impact Models.
–
Past experience.
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 Definition of boundaries for EIA study
Spatial boundaries:
–
These indicate whether impacts are likely to occur at a local,
regional, national or international level.

Temporal boundaries:
–
These refer to project lifespan and the reversibility of impacts.
• For example, impacts may be short-lived or long-term.

Institutional boundaries:
–
These may be determined from political boundaries, acts and
regulations, and ministerial or departmental mandates.

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 Points for Discussion
•
Does the above steps applies for all proposals?
–
Mention a local project/other which involved only
construction and operation phases of the project.

•
What About the institutional Boundaries for the
proposal you mentioned above? Mention them.

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Who should be involved in scoping?
 The proponent

 The EIA administering body

 The competent authority

 Other responsible agencies

 EIA practitioners and experts, may act as

consultant

 key stakeholders (e.g. those affected by the

proposal)

 The wider community, including NGOs and interest25

 Project Alternatives


Objectives of a project can be achieved by
different alternatives


Alternatives/designs is routine in project planning -
or should be!.


EIA should consider all project alternatives


including the no project alternatives - used as a
baseline


The assessment of alternatives should occur early
in EIA
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 Categories of Project Alternative:
 Demand alternatives
• (e.g. using energy more efficiently rather than building more
generating capacity; Or

• using water more efficiently rather than building more water

resource)

 Supply or input alternatives

• (e.g. where a mix of energy sources permits)

 Activity alternatives

• (e.g. providing public transport rather than increasing road

capacity);

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 …Alternatives
 Location alternatives, for the entire proposal or for
components
 (e.g.
the location of a dam and/or irrigation
channels)

 Process alternatives
 ([Link] of waste-minimizing or energy-efficient
technology);

 Scheduling alternatives
 ([Link] airport and transport operations,
reservoir drawdown) 28
 Example of alternatives
Project proposed Alternative Category

1. Hydropower station in highlands. Input/location

A. Coal fired power station 2. Located away from city near river Location

near a major city. 3. Energy efficiency programme. Demand

1. Investment in public transport. Activity

B. Upgrading of a road to a 2. Construction of relief road Location

dual

carriage way. 3. Phased construction of road. Scheduling

1. Rehabilitation of existing small- Activity/location

C. 5000 ha irrigation scale irrigation schemes
scheme

to increase food production  Improved rainfed agricultural Process/location

systems.

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 Content of Scoping Report (EPA,
Ethiopia)

Scoping report should include as a minimum

–
a brief description of the project,

–
all alternatives identified,

–
issues raised by interested and affected parties

–
description of the public participation,

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 Outline of a TOR for EIA studies (EPA,
Ethiopia)
•
background to the proposal,

•
setting the context of the problem,

•
consideration of alternatives,

•
institutional and public involvement,

•
required information regarding project and
location, etc,,

•
analysis of impacts,

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•
mitigation and monitoring, and
 Baseline Studies

•
Objectives:
–
To introduce the concept of baseline information and
surveys required for impact prediction and evaluation.

•
Definitions:
–
Baseline information data: is the starting point or level
of a particular social, biophysical and economic variable
against which subsequent changes can be detected
and/or predicted through monitoring".

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 Defn…..

•
Baseline survey refers to:
–
the collection of background information on the
Biophysical and socio-economic setting for a
proposed development project.
–
it provides a reference point to analyse and
predict impact related changes
–
The collection of baseline information begins
during screening and continues in scoping.

•
Baseline monitoring is the measurement of
environmental parameters during a
representative pre-project period
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 Baseline Monitoring
•
Impact predictions are made against a “baseline”
established by the existing environment (or by its
future state).

•
In many cases, it is likely that the current baseline
conditions will still exist when a project is
implemented.

•
In these cases, predictions may need to be made
about the future state of the environment (the
baseline condition for the no-development option),
which is baseline monitoring.
Topic 5 Slide 34 34
 Application of baseline monitoring

•
Is important :
–
when potential interactions between project and
environment are not well understood;
–
when project implementation methods have not been
clearly defined, or are experimental, or are subject to
change;
when the potential impacts on the natural or social environment
are controversial;
when project scheduling is subject to change so that impacts
could be more serious than originally predicted.

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•
The Baseline data can be:

–
Variable

–
Constant

–
Declining

–
Increasing

Baseline Data collection:

•
Methods:

–
formal (scientific, surveys, measurement)

–
informal (local knowledge, traditional etc.)

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•
Type:
–
primary (new, direct)
–
secondary (old, reference data, reports)
–
remote (e.g. air photos, satellite images) or on
the ground
•
Issues:
–
Costs of surveys
–
Time required
–
Reliability of information

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 Information required to establish
baseline conditions
 current environmental conditions
 current and expected trends
 effects of proposals already being
implemented
 effects of other proposals yet implemented

•
NB: the baseline chapter or section could be limited to not more
than ten per cent of the total number of pages in the report

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