Environmental impact assessment : theory and practice

Foreword UDO E.SIMONIS page vii Acknowledgements ix List of Tables xvii List of Contributors xix I INTRODUCTION 1 1 An introductory guide to EIA P.WATHERN 3 Some terms 6 Major issues in the EIA process 8 The EIA process 17 EIA in the decision-making process 19 Conclusions 28 II METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF EIA 31 2 Scoping methods and baseline studies in EIA G.BEANLANDS 33 Introduction 33 Scoping in EIA 33 Baseline studies in EIA 39 Conclusion 46 3 Developments in EIA methods R.BISSET 47 Introduction 47 Index approaches 48 Multi-attribute utility theory 50 Systems diagrams 53 Simulation modelling 57 Sound ecological principles: the new approach to EIA 59 Conclusions 60 4 Uncertainty in EIA P.DE JONGH 62 Introduction 62 The relationship between uncertainty and EIA—a first glance 63 Uncertainty and EIA—further exploration 64 xii ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Uncertainty in prediction 67 Uncertainty in the ‘EIA approach’ 75 Concluding remarks 83 5 Environmental impact assessment and risk assessment: learning from each other R.N.L.ANDREWS 85 Professional communities 86 Substance 87 Process 92 Prospects for unified analysis 95 Substance, process and outcomes 97 Acknowledgement 97 6 EIA in plan making C.WOOD 98 Introduction 98 The plan-making process 101 Integration of EIA and plan-making processes 102 Methods for the EIA of plans 107 Case studies of EIA in plan making 111 Conclusions 113 III EFFICACY OF EIA 115 7 Monitoring and auditing of impacts R.BISSET AND P.TOMLINSON 117 Introduction 117 Impact monitoring schemes 117 Uses of monitoring data 120 Audit studies 121 The CEMP audit study 123 Implications of results from EIA audit studies 125 Conclusion 126 8 The evaluation of assessment: post-EIS research and process development B.SADLER 129 Introduction 129 Organizing perspectives 130 The role and scope of post-EIS evaluation 131 A strategy for the application of research 134 Canadian trends in research and development 136 Retrospect and prospect 141 Acknowledgements 142 CONTENTS xiii 9 Training requirements for environmental impact assessment N.LEE 143 The case for training 143 Identifying training needs 144 Existing training provision and its deficiencies 150 Improving training provision 155 Acknowledgements 157 IV APPLICATION OF EIA 159 10 The co-evolution of politics and policy: elections, entrepreneurship and EIA in the United States G.WANDESFORDE-SMITH AND J.KERBAVAZ 161 Introduction: EIA scholarship transformed 161 The entrepreneurial origins of policy change 163 EIA and the reformation of continuing relations: the Taylor thesis on co-evolution in the USA 167 Entrepreneurship and the impact assessment strategy in California 176 Conclusions 188 11 The EIA directive of the European Community P.WATHERN 192 Introduction 192 EC policy and Community institutions 193 Environmental assessment provisions in member states 194 Evolution of the EC directive 200 Content of the directive 201 Implementation in the United Kingdom 204 Conclusions 207 Postscript 208 12 The legislative framework for EIA in centrally planned economies A.STARZEWSKA 210 Introduction 210 Constitutional foundations of environmental protection 210 Legal aspects of environmental protection 212 Environmental protection in the planning system 215 The scope for adopting EIA in centrally planned economies 219 EIA procedures in Poland 221 Conclusions 223 13 The EIA process in Asia and the Pacific region NAY HTUN 225 Introduction 225 Environmental machinery 226 EIA practice and application 230 Evolving trends in the EIA process 237 Note 238 xiv ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 14 EIA in Latin America I.VEROCAI MOREIRA 239 Introduction 239 Uruguay 243 Peru 244 Colombia 245 Venezuela 247 Mexico 248 Brazil 250 Argentina 252 Conclusion 253 Acknowledgement 253 V EIA AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES 255 15 WHO interest in environmental health impact assessment E.GIROULT 257 Introduction 257 Present status of health impact assessment 259 Interrelationships between environmental factors and human health 260 Environmental health impact assessment 263 Health considerations of an agricultural irrigation development project 267 Conclusions 270 16 Environmental impact assessment and bilateral development aid: an overview W.V.KENNEDY 272 Introduction 272 Types of projects most in need of EIA 273 Constraints in developing countries to carrying out EIA 274 Aid agency experience with environmental assessment 276 Characteristics of the case studies 279 Key factors for a successful EIA 282 Time and costs 283 EIA procedures 284 Conclusion 285 17 Fitting USAID to the environmental assessment provisions of NEPA J.A.J.HORBERRY 286 Introduction 286 How aid works 287 NEPA and development assistance 291 Accountability, organizational response and environmental planning 295 Conclusions 298 CONTENTS xv References 300 Chapter 1 300 Chapter 2 303 Chapter 3 304 Chapter 4 306 Chapter 5 308 Chapter 6 310 Chapter 7 312 Chapter 8 313 Chapter 9 315 Chapter 10 315 Chapter 11 318 Chapter 12 320 Chapter 13 320 Chapter 14 321 Chapter 15 322 Chapter 16 323 Chapter 17 323 Index 325