EIA-SEA Module 41404 - Lecture - 4 - WS - 2017 - 18 - 01.11.2017

Module 41404:
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic

Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Lecture 4: EIA Procedure –

Screening
ERM Master of Science ― Winter Semester 2017/18
Dr. Dmitry Palekhov
1st November 2017

Consideration of alternatives
I. pre-EIA
Project design
Screening
(determination whether an EIA is necessary)
II. EIA
Scoping
(deciding on the coverage of the EIA)
Preparation of the EIA report
Description of the project and

environment
Consultation and Impact management

participation Impact prediction
Impact significance
Reviewing the EIA report
Decision making
Monitoring project
III. post-EIA impacts
Source: Wood 2003 2
Objectives of Screening
• Ensure that all environmentally significant activities are

covered by EA
• Ensure that EA concentrates primarily on
environmentally significant activities
3
Schematic Representation of Screening
Projects about to be screened
EIA not required
S
C
R
E Further study needed  Precautionary
E Principle
N
I
N
G EIA required
4
Screening and the Precautionary Principle
• Screening process tries to answer the question:
“What is a sufficiently sound or credible basis for not requiring

an EIA?”
• Screening stage ensures that all activities that are ‘likely’ to

have significant impacts are given proper assessment
• The lack of certainty (i.e. credible scientific information)
should not be basis for:
 approving the proposed activity without additional investigation;
 not requiring EIA;
 not requiring rigorous mitigation or monitoring measures;
 but also, for cancelling the planned action to prevent harm.
5
Methods of Screening
• Lists of activities (positive or negative)
 Checklist of projects with or without thresholds for which an
EIA is (or is not) required, based on the potential to generate
negative impacts
• Case-by-case preliminary assessment

 Evaluating project characteristics against a checklist of
criteria
• Combination of these techniques based on thresholds

 Classifying projects into categories and setting thresholds for
each type. E.g. project size, level of emissions generated or
population affected
6
Example of Positive Screening List : World Bank
Category ‘A’ Projects
• Dams and reservoirs
• Industrial plants (large-scale) and estates including expansion,
rehabilitation and modification
• Irrigation, drainage and flood control (large scale)
• Aquaculture and mariculture (large scale)
• Mineral development (including oil and gas)
• Port and harbour development
• Thermal power and hydropower development and expansion
• Manufacture, transportation and use of pesticides or other
hazardous materials
• New or upgraded roads
• Hazardous waste management and disposal
• …
7
Example of a Negative Screening List: World
Bank Category ‘C’ Projects
• Education
• Family planning
• Health
• Nutrition
• Institutional development
• Human resources projects
8
Examples of the EC Directive 97/11 Annex I
Projects
• Installations for the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel.
• Thermal power stations and other combustion installations
with a heat output of 300 megawatts or more.
• Integrated chemical installations.
• Construction of lines for long-distance railway traffic and of
airports with a basic runway length of 2 100 m or more.
• Waste disposal installations for the incineration or chemical
treatment … of non-hazardous waste with a capacity
exceeding 100 tonnes per day.
9
Case-by-case Screening: US Council on
Environmental Quality Criteria
• Is the impact adverse or beneficial?
• Does the action affect public health or safety?
• Is the action located in a unique geographic area?
• Are the effects likely to be highly controversial?
• Does the proposed action pose highly uncertain or unique or unknown
risks?
• Does the action establish a precedent for future actions with significant
effects, or represent a decision in principle about future considerations?
• Is the action related to other activities which individually insignificant but
cumulatively significant impacts?
• To what degree may the action affect designated or listed and protected
sites?
• To what degree may the action adversely affect endangered or threatened
species and habitats?
• Could the action contravene other environmental legislation?
10
Cumulative Environmental Impacts
Activity or Development A Impact x

Impact X
Impact x
Activity or Development B
• Emissions from cars, industries

• Noise pollution
• Several large-scale logging operations
• ….
11
Synergistic Environmental Impacts
Activity or Development A Impact x
Impact z
Activity or Development B Impact x
• Total impacts are greater then the sum of separate impacts

Example: power plant + single industry near a river system 
• altered water temperature, release of chemical substances and
changes in dissolved oxygen 
• increased toxicity of chemicals x high water temperatures x low
oxygen 
dead fish
12
Case-by-case Screening: Directive 97/11/EC
criteria
• Characteristics of projects
• Location of projects
• Characteristics of impacts
13
EC/97/11 Criteria 1: Characteristics of Projects
Size of the project Production of waste
Cumulation with Pollution and

other projects nuisances
Risk of accidents, having

Use of natural regard in particular
resources to substances or
technologies used
14
EC/97/11 Criteria 2: Location of Projects
The environmental sensitivity of geographical areas
likely to be affected by projects ..., in particular:
The absorption capacity of the natural

Existing land use environment, particularly:
The relative abundance, (a) wetlands

quality and regenerative (b) coastal zones
capacity of natural (c) mountain and forest areas
resources in the area (d) nature reserves and parks
(e) protected areas
(f) areas in which the environmental quality
standards laid down in legislation have
already been exceeded
(g) densely populated areas
(h) landscapes of historical, cultural or
archaeological significance
15
97/11/EC Criteria 3: Characteristics of the
Potential Impact
 Extent of the impact (geographical area and size of the affected

population)
 Transboundary nature of the impact
 Magnitude and complexity of the impact
 Probability of the impact
 Duration, frequency and reversibility of the impact
16
Where is the ‘Significance’ Line Drawn?
17
Initial consideration of whether possible impacts on the
environment are significant, in relation to:
 The scale or magnitude of the project (and by implication of

the impacts)
 The importance or sensitivity of the resources or receptors
impacted upon
Moderate High
Impact Importance
Significance Significance
(value)
Low Moderate
Significance Significance
Impact Characteristic
(magnitude) Source: UNEP 2002 18
Preferable
avoidance
reduction
compensation
Undesirable Residual impacts?

19
“Traffic Light” or Hybrid Approach for Screening
Increasing impact of activity

Inclusive Threshold
‘Red Zone’: EIA
always required
[EIA more likely to be
required]
‘Amber Zone’: case-
Indicative
by-case consideration Threshold
[EIA less likely to be

required]
‘Green zone’: EIA
never required Exclusive Threshold
(except projects in
restricted / sensitive areas,
Source: adapted from Noble 2010 e.g. Natura 2000) 20
Main Threshold Parameters : Some Examples
Size Designation National Parks
AONBs
• Throughput 75,000 tonnes per years
(waste disposal) Listed Buildings
500,000 tonnes p.a. (iron Legislation Requirements for other

& steel prodn.) authorisations
• Energy Capacity 50 MW
• Height 15 metres (telecoms Use Previous uses (e.g.

equipment or windmills) contamination
• Area 50 ha. (mineral workings) Materials and Leachate, Noise, Odour

Emissions
Time Not between 18:00 and

07:00 (industrial
development)
21
Thresholds Compared to Pure Case-by-case Approach
Thresholds
Advantages Disadvantages
It is more certain and quick to use Gives less room for common sense or
good judgement
There is consistency between different types
of projects Difficult to set, but once set , difficult to
change
It is simple to apply
Consistent between decisions within locations Placed arbitrarily and inflexible rules
Case-by-Case
It allows for common sense and good judgement Very likely to be slow and costly
It is flexible and can therefore incorporate variety Very likely to be complex and ambiguous
In project and environment
Open to poor judgement of decision makers
Easily evolvable Open to abuse by decision – makers because
of political or financial interests.
22

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Module 41404:

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic

Lecture 4: EIA Procedure –

Dr. Dmitry Palekhov

1st November 2017

Preparation of the EIA report

Description of the project and

Consultation and Impact management

Reviewing the EIA report

• Ensure that all environmentally significant activities are

Projects about to be screened

EIA not required

• Screening process tries to answer the question:

“What is a sufficiently sound or credible basis for not requiring

• Screening stage ensures that all activities that are ‘likely’ to

• Case-by-case preliminary assessment

• Combination of these techniques based on thresholds

Activity or Development A Impact x

• Emissions from cars, industries

Activity or Development A Impact x

• Total impacts are greater then the sum of separate impacts

Size of the project Production of waste

Cumulation with Pollution and

Risk of accidents, having

The absorption capacity of the natural

The relative abundance, (a) wetlands

 Extent of the impact (geographical area and size of the affected

 The scale or magnitude of the project (and by implication of

Undesirable Residual impacts?

Increasing impact of activity

[EIA less likely to be

500,000 tonnes p.a. (iron Legislation Requirements for other

• Height 15 metres (telecoms Use Previous uses (e.g.

• Area 50 ha. (mineral workings) Materials and Leachate, Noise, Odour

Time Not between 18:00 and

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