Environmental impact assessment is carried out by the experts to evaluate the impact of development plans or any proposed project. It will focus on the cultural, socio- economic and the human health impacts. The EPA began in 1960s due to the increasing awareness about environmental issues. In the year 1969, it gained importance in the United States. Later, it spread around the world.
The whole assessment procedure is completed in the following ways-
- The initial screening
- Scoping
- The final evaluation of impacts
- Reporting the statement of environmental impact
- The review
- Decision making process
- Monitoring an compiling the whole thing
The initial screening will check what all projects a complete impact assessment need study. Under this, the EPA team will go through the prescribed lists of projects and shortlist the best ones.
How the scoping is conducted?
During the scoping, experts will go through international conventions, legislative requirements, public involvement etc to find out the potential impact to access. It aims to find the most appropriate solution that will compensate the harmful impact on biodiversity. They could find alternative sites to avoid such life threatening impacts. At the end, they will derive the terms of references.
Now, they will conduct a detailed assessment and detailed elaboration of all the possible alternatives. Then, they will report the final statement or EIA with an environmental management plan. Besides this, they might also provide non-technical summary for the audience.
They will prepare a review of the EIS keeping in mind the public participation and reference. Decision-making is a crucial step and they will decide whether they have to approve this proposal. They could introduce some terms and conditions if they want.
The last step is to monitor and enforce the project. They will thoroughly monitor the proposed measures and ensure they occur in the same manner as defined in EMP. The final report prepared at the end could be easily assessed online. Public could go through it and leave their feedback.
What is the need for this environmental impact assessment?
The keskkonnamõjude hindamine is required for the sustainable environment. Different mining industries and other institutions offer different proposals to the government. Now, the government asks EPA to check whether the environment could accept these advices or proposal. The EPA will then make different planning schemes and sort out the best-fit projects for the environment. It is only after their approval, the companies could start constructing railways, ports, pipelines, highways and the list goes on.
Other things you must know
Every year, they approve hundreds of proposals and make necessary changes if required. They also consider few referrals before making a final decision. There are many methods to accomplish this task. Some of them include industrial products, fuzzy logics, genetically modified plants etc.
They also provide a fair chance to the public to comment. A non- technical summary of the project is introduced in the market for local folks to understand. This documentation includes everything you must know about environmental impact and their consequences.
Author’s Bio:
Robert Wolf has written many articles explaining about the critical importance of getting thekeskkonnamõjude hindamine or environmental impact assessment reports for any of your construction projects. If you are planning on any new project in Estonia, please visit their website to learn more about the compliance requirements.