EIA Midterm

18th–19th century: Industrial Revolution; 1945–1960s: end of World War II and shift toward modernization; 1970s: environmental protection paradigm; 1972: Philippine economic development strategy; 1976: PD 984, National Pollution Control Commission; 1977: PD 1151, Philippine Environmental Policy

Big picture timeline before PD 1586

1977: PD 1152, Philippine Environment Code; 1978: PD 1586, Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System; 1981: PD 2146, proclaiming ECAs and ECPs; 2003: DAO 2003-30, Revised Procedural Manual; 2010: DENR MC 2010-14, standardized requirements with emphasis on thresholds and SDP; 2011: DENR MC 2011-005, incorporation of DRR-CCA in EIA

Key legal milestones after PD 1586

MC 2014-005

Guidelines for Coverage Screening; 2014 update to the PEISS

Operational guide for ECAs; categories for multi-component projects; type of documentary requirement

What MC 2014-005 does

Category A

Environmentally Critical Projects (ECP)

Category B

NEC projects located in ECAs

Category C

Projects that enhance the environment or resolve environmental problems

Category D

Non-coverage projects

Resource extraction; wastes and pollutants

Main environmental pressure pathways of a development project

Development project

Creates environmental pressure through resource extraction and wastes/pollutants and is linked to ecosystem services and human well-being in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Economic, ecological, social, institutional systems

Systems changed by a development project

Changes

Impacts caused by development projects

Projects can trigger responses and management actions

Solution side of development-project impacts

Carrying capacity

Capacity of a system to sustainably support a population through time

Overshoot

Population growth exceeds carrying capacity

Instability

Fluctuation of population based on carrying capacity

Degradation

Increasing demand for resources causes natural resources to decline when pressure is too high

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Process of evaluating and predicting likely impacts of projects, including cumulative impacts

Construction; commissioning; operation; abandonment

Project stages whose impacts are covered by EIA

Mitigation and enhancement measures

Measures designed as part of EIA

Environmental protection and community welfare

Main goal of EIA

Determine impacts; predict impacts; manage impacts

Uses of different EIA techniques and methodologies

Systematic examination of environmental implications of proposed actions and alternatives

What EIA provides for decision-making

Local and national government policy and regulations

Policies and regulations with which EIA helps ensure compliance

Project concept; pre-feasibility; feasibility; design and engineering; implementation; monitoring and evaluation

Main stages of the project development cycle

EIA

Part of the project development cycle

Site selection; environmental screening; initial assessment; scoping of significant issues

Early EIA inputs

Detailed assessment of significant impacts; identification of mitigation needs; input to cost-benefit analysis; detailed design of mitigation measures; implementation of mitigation measures and environmental strategy; monitoring and post-auditing for future projects

Later EIA inputs

Project sponsor/project proponent; EIA consultants; regulatory agencies including LGUs; community members; socio-civic organizations; private organizations; religious denominations; advocacy groups

Participants in EIA

Public participation in all stages

Main idea of public participation in EIA

Inform

Advertising, media, brochures; first level of the participation ladder

Consult

Public comment, meetings, group presentations; second level of the participation ladder

Involve

Workshops and field visits; third level of the participation ladder

Collaborate

Participatory decision-making; fourth level of the participation ladder

Empower

Delegating decisions to the community level; fifth level of the participation ladder

Environmental risks; carrying capacity

Environmental aspects considered in EIA under sustainable development

Public participation; social issues

Social aspects considered in EIA under sustainable development

Best interest of stakeholders and the community

What projects and investments should serve

Appropriate technologies and processes

Means by which economic efficiency is promoted

Impact

A deviation or change from the baseline situation resulting from a project or investment

Positive; negative; neutral

Possible types of project impacts

With the project; without the project; net impacts

Impact-intensity conditions shown as changing over time

Neglect of the environment during the project cycle; reduced social acceptability; unforeseen costs; weak strategic project planning and design

Reasons for determining environmental impacts

Background information

Information collected to predict and measure environmental impacts

Environmental setting; socioeconomic setting

Main background information collected for impact prediction and measurement

Local and national government agencies; parallel studies; journal articles; maps

Secondary data sources

Flora and fauna; hydrology; geology; land use; climate; soil and water quality conditions

Biophysical information from primary data collection

Demography; customs and traditions; migration; ethnicity; language

Socio-cultural information from primary data collection

Income sources; tenurial instruments; peace and order situation; mode of transportation

Socio-economic information from primary data collection

What changes are important?; What will happen as a result of the project?; How large is the change?; What are the spatial and temporal boundaries of the project?

Main questions in impact analysis and evaluation

Quantity; quality; reliability; accessibility

Water impact indicators

Erosion; crop productivity; salinity; land use; nutrient concentrations

Land impact indicators

Composition and density of natural vegetation; productivity; key species

Flora impact indicators

Populations; habitat; key species

Fauna impact indicators

Customs; traditions; value system; ethnicity; alternative livelihood opportunities; income; quality of life; nutrition

Social impact indicators

Particulate matter; noise

Air impact indicators

Physical and chemical environment; biological environment; human social environment; human economic environment

Four facets of the environment

Project pressure/environmental stress

Leads to an environmental reaction

Environmental reaction

Becomes an environmental impact when environmental status changes

Positive; negative; neutral

Environmental-status changes used in impact evaluation

Benefit-cost terms

Terms in which environmental impacts are valued

Environmental monitoring

Part of the environmental-impact evaluation process

How can we remedy the unwanted changes?; How can we enhance the beneficial changes?; How can we ensure environmental quality?

Main questions in managing project impacts

Avoidance

Strongest option for unwanted impacts

Enhancement

Management option for beneficial impacts

Mitigation

Reduces damage from impacts

Compensation

Used when impacts cannot be fully avoided

Direct impact areas; primary impact areas; secondary impact areas; regional impact areas

Impact-area categories

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Document for single, new projects; contains primary environmental baseline data; maximum 250 pages; Annex 2-12, pp. 153–154

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)

Document for single co-located projects; contains primary environmental baseline data and carrying capacity; maximum 350 pages; Annex 2-11, pp. 149–152

Initial Environmental Examination Checklist Report (IEE)

Uses secondary environmental baseline data and includes project description, location, impacts, and management strategies; maximum 75 pages; Annex 2-15, pp. 159–160

Environmental Performance Report and Management Plan (EPRMP)

Covers actual environmental impacts, focuses on effectiveness of current measures, applies to single projects already operating, maximum 150 pages; Annex 2-14, pp. 157–158

Programmatic Environmental Performance Report and Management Plan (PEPRMP)

Covers actual environmental impacts of co-located projects and includes proposals for expansions, modifications, and performance improvement plans; maximum 200 pages; Annex 2-13, pp. 155–156

Project Description Report (PDR)

Describes the nature, location, configuration, and use of raw materials and resources of a project; maximum 30 pages; Annex 2-16, p. 161

PEIS

350 pages maximum

EIS

250 pages maximum

PEPRMP

200 pages maximum

EPRMP

150 pages maximum

IEER

75 pages maximum

PDR

30 pages maximum

Proponent

May be private or government

Category A cases

Handled by DENR-EMB Central Office

Categories B, C, D

Handled by DENR-EMB Regional Office

EIA and Management Division; case handler; EIA Technical/Review Committee; review process report; DENR-EMB Chief/Director; decision document

Central Office flow

EIA Division; case handler; EIA Technical/Review Committee; review process report; DENR-EMB Executive Director; decision document

Regional Office flow

LGUs and regulatory agencies

Handle applications for other permits and clearances

Screening; scoping; EIA study and report preparation; technical review 1st; public hearing; technical review 2nd; decision-making; ECC issuance; project implementation and monitoring

Main procedural sequence of EIA

IEC; Public Scoping; Technical Scoping

Three parts of scoping in the EIA procedural sequence

Team Leader; Geologist; Biodiversity Specialist; Hydrologist/Freshwater/Marine Specialist; Air Quality Specialist; Social Scientist/Sociologist; Economist

EIA team composition

Environmental Scientist; Environmental Planner

Specializations under the Team Leader

Geophysical specialist

Specialization under the Geologist

Flora; Fauna

Areas covered by the Biodiversity Specialist

EIA Part 2: The EIA Process

Part covering the procedural steps of EIA

Preliminary activities and Terms of Reference (TOR)

Step 1 of the EIA process

Different EIA specialists

Needed because assessment covers different environmental and socioeconomic dimensions

Project screening

Step 2 of the EIA process

Thorough and full understanding of the proposed project or investment

Main purpose of project screening

What is the project all about?; Why is the project being proposed?; What are the development objectives of the project?; Is the proposed project classified as an ECP?; Is the project site under an ECA?

Questions asked during project screening

“We cannot manage what we do not know and understand.”

Basic principle of project screening

Project Description; Initial Environmental Examination; Environmental Impact Statement; other applicable documents

Possible outputs determined by project screening