This report, based on a draft paper prepared by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and reviewed by Summit participants, presents the results of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency-sponsored study. The paper offers a framework on how such a network could be organised and operated, and explains how the CEAA has used the framework to develop its site on the Internet. The report is also a contribution to the International Study of the Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment. The document proposes a framework for an EA network and looks at the experience of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has become a vital management tool worldwide. EIA is a means of evaluating the likely consequences of a proposed major action which will significantly affect the environment, before that action is taken.This new edition of Wood's key text provides an authoritative, international review of environmental impact assessment, comparing systems used in the UK, USA, the Netherlands, Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand and South Africa.
This authoritative handbook surveys the full breadth and depth of SEA, bringing together a range of international perspectives and insights on the theoretical, methodological and institutional dimensions and practical issues of the field. It then subjects this conventional wisdom to a critical reappraisal, looks at the vast lessons of experience and offers new ideas and interpretations as to where the field is going. The volume is organized into six major sections, beginning with an introduction and overview of the development of the field and a framework for evaluating SEA good practice. Part I comprises a review of SEA frameworks in leading countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA), the European Union and developing regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and Newly Independent States). Part II reviews SEA practice in several major sectors (energy, minerals, transport, water, development assistance and coastal zone management). Part III addresses the linkages between SEA and other comparable tools such as spatial planning and environmental management. Part IV probes key cross-cutting issues in SEA, including how to address cumulative and trans-boundary effects. Part V identifies ways and means of SEA process and capacity development, focusing on how to improve and upgrade the theory and practice of the field. Part VI examines the shift from conventional SEA towards more integrative approaches, drawing on experience and examples from a number of countries. Published with IAIA
Although upwards of 50,000 Environmental Assessments (EA) are prepared annually, the focus of the National Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA) Regulations is clearly on defining requirements for preparing environmental impact statements. Surprisingly, until now, there has been no authoritative and comprehensive guide on how to prepare Environmental As
Environmental Impact Statements focuses on the roles of the variousparticipants in the EIS review process. Whether you are an EISauthor or reviewer, member of a public agency, a private sectorconsultant, a developer, environmental activist, or privatecitizen, understanding your own role and the roles of others in theprocess will increase your effectiveness, reduce duplication ofeffort, and save time and money. This hands-on guide offers a unique, comprehensive approach topreparing, managing, and reviewing an EIS. It chronicles thepreparation process step by step, from kickoff meeting throughfinal submission and, unlike other books, it integrates technicaldiscussions on the regulatory environment and impact analysis intothe planning chronology instead of treating them independently. Thebook's combined emphasis on process and interaction of rolesenables participants to adapt each step to their own federal orstate EIS projects. Author Diori Kreske explains all concepts needed to understand theEIS process and presents them first at an introductory level andlater in greater detail. In the first half of the book sheintroduces readers to the EIS process, defines the roles andresponsibilities of major participants, and discusses the processin relation to federal and state requirements and court decisions.Then Kreske concentrates on the nuts and bolts of preparing andmanaging an EIS. She describes how to build an EIS team, establishthe statement's framework, manage the preparation process,determine when and how to involve the public, and write and reviewEISs. Whatever your role in the EIS process, and wherever your interestslie, this invaluable resource will help you develop a clearunderstanding of your responsibilities within the definedrequirements and ensure that the process will be more effective inaccomplishing its stated purpose: to reduce the negative impacts ofour actions on the environment. Environmental Impact Statements is the first book to approach thepreparation and management of the EIS process through the roles andresponsibilities of process participants. It enables participantsto reduce conflicts, avoid duplication of effort, and mostimportantly, produce a more useful EIS. This invaluable bookprovides a step-by-step guide to preparing an EIS that can bereadily adapted to any state or federal EIS project. It also: * Explains major participants' roles and how their responsibilitiesand goals can be effectively integrated into the process * Describes the responsibilities and perspectives of both thepublic and private sectors * Gives how-to advice on preparing and managing the EIS process * Offers suggestions on how EIS teams can streamline the processand reduce time, effort, and paperwork * Provides case studies that illustrate the preparation andmanagement of EISs * Includes numerous illustrations, an extensive list of acronyms,and appendices useful in preparing EISs, including NEPA and CEQregulations For anyone involved in the EIS process, this unique resource willmake you a more effective participant and help you produce a moreaccurate, reliable, and effective EIS.
The practical application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is becoming increasingly common. A growing number of SEAs are being undertaken around the world, and several countries have issued guidance on how these should be carried out. However, few countries as yet have formal SEA regulations, and few completed SEAs have demonstrated all the elements of current best practice. The Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment aims to provide a unique analysis of SEAs which have been undertaken, drawing on a variety of methods and circumstances to illustrate how best practice can be achieved, and providing inspiration for those considering studying, commission or carrying out an SEA. Part I sets the rest of the book in context, giving a review of international SEA guidance and regulations, and discussing models and methodologies. Part II then analyses a comprehensive set of case studies from countries which have extensive experience in SEA, or which provide particularly good examples. The case studies are discussed in three sections ? sectoral SEAs, SEAs of land-use plans and SEAs of policies ? and provide examples of different scales and approaches, as well as country-specific experience. The final chapter draws out some constraints to effective SEA, as well as positive themes which show how effective SEA can contribute to wider environmental assessment. Written by an international team of SEA practitioners and experts, this volume will be of particular use to students of environmental policy and management, environmental consultants, local authorities, policy-makers and anyone involved in the commissioning, process or review of SEAs.
