An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an assessment of the likely influence a project may have on the environment. “Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.” (IAIA 1999). The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects.

Environmental technology or green technology is the application of the environmental sciences to conserve the natural environment and resources, and by curbing the negative impacts of human involvement. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Air Pollution#Control devices. ... For articles on specific fuels used in vehicles, see Biogas, Bioethanol, Biobutanol, Biodiesel, and Straight vegetable oil. ... An active compost heap, steaming on a cold winter morning. ... Conservation biology, or conservation ecology, is the science of analyzing and protecting Earths biological diversity. ... The conservation ethic is an ethic of resource use, allocation, exploitation, and protection. ... Ecoforestry is forestry that emphasizes holistic practices which strive to protect and restore ecosystems1 instead of traditional forestry that maximizes economic productivity. ... For the physical concepts, see conservation of energy and energy efficiency. ... Energy development is the ongoing effort to provide sustainable energy resources through knowledge, skills, and constructions. ... Environmental design is the process of addressing environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. ... Envirnonmental preservation is the strict setting aside of natural resources to prevent the use or contact by humans or by human intervention. ... This article is about green building construction. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way by mans industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into the environment or its re-use. ... Natural building involves a range of building systems and materials that place major emphasis on sustainability. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. ... // Renewable energy development covers the advancement, capacity growth, and use of renewable energy sources by humans. ... Generally, remediation means giving a remedy. ... The following page contains a list of different forms of waste treatment Anaerobic digestion ArrowBio Composting Gasification Incineration In-vessel composting Landfill Mechanical biological treatment Mechanical heat treatment Plasma Pyrolysis Recycling Sewage treatment Tunnel composting UASB Windrow composting Categories: | ... Sustainable architecture applies techniques of sustainable design to architecture. ... This article is about a concept related to renewable energy, of which sustainable energy is a superset. ... anyone doing this homework. ... The following page consist of a list of waste water treatment technologies: Activated sludge Anaerobic digestion Anaerobic lagoon Cesspit Combined sewer overflow Composting toilet Constructed wetland Imhoff tank Floculation Reed bed Septic tank Sequencing batch reactor UASB Aerobic Granular Reactor This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... Control room and schematics of the water purification plant to Bret lake. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ... Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment; with a focus on pollution and degradation of the environment related to human activities; and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability from local and global development. ...

Overview

The US Environmental Protection Agency pioneered the use of pathway analysis to determine the likely human health impact of environmental factors. The technology for performing such analysis is properly labelled environmental science. The principal phenomena or pathways of impact are: soil contamination impacts, air pollution impacts, noise health effects, ecology impacts including endangered species assessment, geological hazards assessment and water pollution impacts. Pathway analysis and The Natural Step definitions subsequently became the basis of the global ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards and the more recent ISO 19011 auditing standard; however, these ISO standards are not in common use in the U.S. and most other countries. EPA redirects here. ... Health can be defined negatively, as the absence of illness, functionally as the ability to cope with everyday activities, or positively, as fitness and well-being (Blaxter 1990). ... Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment; with a focus on pollution and degradation of the environment related to human activities; and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability from local and global development. ... Excavation of leaking underground storage tank causing soil contamination Soil contamination is the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration of the natural soil environment. ... Air pollution is a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. ... Environmental noise can produce irreversible hearing loss Noise health effects, the collection of health consequences of elevated sound levels, constitute one of the most widespread public health threats in industrialized countries. ... For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ... The Natural Step is a nonprofit organization founded in Sweden in 1989 by Swedish scientist, Karl-Henrik Robèrt. ... The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment (cause adverse changes to air, water, or land), comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and continually improve on the above. ... Started at Winter Semester 1999/00, the main aim is to create a medium(see Fachhochschule Lübeck) for the next generation in Lübeck City to understand and explore the Environmental awareness in Environmental Protection and Environmental Management, and also to provide a strong education background and constructive knowledge... ISO 19011 is a terse document that sets forth guidelines for: quality management systems auditing environmental management systems auditing Provider: International_Organization_for_Standardization The stadards offer four resources to organizations to save time, effort and money: A clear explanation of the principles of management systems auditing. ...

After an EIA analysis, the Precautionary Principle and Polluter Pays may be applied to prevent, limit, or require strict liability or insurance coverages to a project, based on its likely harms. The precautionary principle is a moral and political principle which states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the... Polluter Pays is a principle in government whereby industries causing pollution or contamination are obliged to pay for their damage to the environment either through directly funding clean-up work or through taxation. ... In the most general sense, a liability is anything that is a hindrance, or puts individuals at a disadvantage. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ...

Environmental impact analysis is sometimes controversial and contested. Related analysis of social impacts is achieved by Social impact assessment. Analysis of business impacts is achieved by Context analysis. Design impacts are assessed in relation to Context theory. // Introduction and definitions Social Impact Assessment first emerged in the 1970s, as a way to assess the impacts on society of certain development schemes and projects - for example, new roads, industrial facilities, mines, dams, ports, airports, and other infrastructure projects. ... Context analysis, also known as environmental scanning, is a method to analyze the environment in which a business operates. ... Context theory Environmental design and planning rest on theories of how new development should relate to its context. ...

EIS predicts what a specific action can do to the environment.

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EIA around the world

China

The Environmental Impact Assessment Law (EIA Law)requires an environmental impact assessment to be completed prior to project construction. However, if a developer completely ignores this requirement and builds a project without submitting an environmental impact statement, the only penalty is that the environmental protection bureau (EPB) may require the developer to do a make-up environmental assessment. If the developer does not complete this make-up assessment within the designated time, only then is the EPB authorized to fine the developer. Even so, the possible fine is capped at a maximum of about US$25,000, a fraction of the overall cost of most major projects. The lack of more stringent enforcement mechanisms has resulted in a significant percentage of projects not completing legally required environmental impact assessments prior to construction. [1]

China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) used the legislation to halt 30 projects in 2004, including three hydro-power plants under the Three Gorges Project Company. Although one month later (Note as a point of reference, that the typical EIA for a major project in the USA takes one to two years.), most of the 30 halted projects resumed their construction, reportedly having passed the environmental assessment, the fact that these key projects' construction was ever suspended was notable. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA, Simplified Chinese: 国家环境保护总局) is a cabinet-level agency in the executive branch of the Chinese Government (Peoples Republic of China). ... The Three Gorges (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: [ ]) region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the Peoples Republic of China with a total length of approximately 200 km. ...

A joint investigation by SEPA and the Ministry of Land and Resources in 2004 showed that 30 to 40 per cent of the mining construction projects went through the procedure of environment impact assessment as required, while in some areas only 6 to 7 per cent did so. This partly explains why China has witnessed so many mining accidents in recent years.

SEPA alone cannot guarantee the full enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, observed Professor Wang Canfa, director of the centre to help environmental victims at China University of Political Sciences and Law. In fact, according to Wang, the rate of China's environmental laws and regulations that are actually enforced is estimated to be barely 10 per cent.[2]

EU

The EIA Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment of the effects of projects on the environment was first introduced in 1985 and was amended in 1997. The directive was amended again in 2003 following the 1998 signature by the EU of the Aarhus Convention on public participation in environmental matters. The issue was enlarged to the assessment of plans and programmes by the so called SEA-Directive in 2001 which is now in force and establishes a mix of mandatory and discretionary procedures for assessing environmental impacts. ^[1] A directive is a legislative act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. ... The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, usually known as the Aarhus Convention, was signed on June 25, 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus. ... In administrative rulemaking, public participation refers to the process by which proposed rules are subject to public comment for a specified period of time. ... This article is about the body of water. ...

Under the EU directive, an EIA must provide certain information to comply. There are seven key areas that are required:

1. Description of the project

• Description of actual project and site description
• Break the project down into its key components, ie construction, operations, decommissioning
• For each component list all of the sources of environmental disturbance
• For each component all the inputs and outputs must be listed, eg, air pollution, noise, hydrology

2. Alternatives that have been considered Air pollution is a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ...

• Examine alternatives that have been considered
• Eg - In a biomass power station, will the fuel be sourced locally or nationally?

3. Description of the environment See biomass (ecology) for the use of the term in ecology, where it refers to the cumulation of living matter Switchgrass, a tough plant used in the biofuel industry in the United States Rice chaff. ...

• List of all aspects of the environment that may be effected by the development
• eg populations, fauna, flora, air, soil, water, humans, landscape, cultural heritage
• This section is best carried out with the help of local experts, eg the RSPB in the UK

4. Description of the significant effects on the environment Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ...

• The word significant is crucial here as the definition can vary
• 'Significant' needs to be defined
• The most frequent method used here is use of the Leopold matrix
• The maxtrix is a tool used in the systematic examination of potential interactions
• Eg In a windfarm development a significant impact may be collisions with birds

5. Mitigation The Leopold matrix is a qualitative environmental impact assessment method, used to identify the potential environmental impact of a project on the environment. ...

• This is where EIA is most useful
• Once section 4 has been completed it will be obvious where the impacts will be greatest
• Using this information ways to avoid negative impacts should be developed
• Best working with the developer with this section as they know the project best
• Using the windfarm example again construction could be out of bird nesting seasons

6. Non-technical summary

• The EIA will be in the public domain and be used in the decision making process
• It is important that the information is available to the public
• This section is a summary that does not include jargon or complicated diagrams
• It should be understood by the informed lay-person

7. Lack of know-how/technical difficulties

• This section is to advise any areas of weakness in knowledge
• It can be used to focus areas of future research
• Some developers see the EIA as a starting block for good environmental management

New Zealand

In New Zealand, EIA is usually referred to as Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). The first use of EIA's dates back to a Cabinet minute passed in 1974 called Environmental Protection and Enhancement Procedures. This had no legal force and only related to the activities of government departments. When the Resource Management Act was passed in 1991, an EIA was required as part of a resource consent application. Section 88 of the Act spells this out. Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The Resource Management Act (RMA) is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament passed in 1991 in New Zealand. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

United States

Under United States environmental law an EIA is referred to as the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and originated in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), enacted in the United States in 1969. Certain actions of federal agencies must be preceded by an EIS. Contrary to a widespread misconception, NEPA does not prohibit the federal government or its licensees/permittees from harming the environment, nor does it specify any penalty if the EIS turns out to be inaccurate, intentionally or otherwise. NEPA requires that plausible statements as to the prospective impacts be disclosed in advance. The purpose of NEPA process is to ensure that the decision maker is fully informed of the environmental aspects and consequences prior to making the final decision. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The National Environmental Policy Act (or, NEPA) was signed into law on January 1, 1970 by US President Richard Nixon. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

Usually, an agency will release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for comment. Interested parties and the general public have the opportunity to comment on the draft, after which the agency will approve the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). Occasionally, the agency will later release a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

The adequacy of an EIS can be challenged in court. Major proposed projects have been blocked because of an agency's failure to prepare an acceptable EIS. One prominent example was the Westway landfill and highway development in and along the Hudson River in New York City ^[2]. Another prominent case involved the Sierra Club suing the Nevada Department of Transportation over its denial of Sierra Club's request to issue a supplemental EIS addressing air emissions of particulate matter and hazardous air pollutants in the case of widening US Highway 95 through Las Vegas.^[3] The case reached the 9th Circuit Court of the United States, which led to construction on the highway being halted until the court's final decision. The case was settled prior to the court's final decision. For other uses of the term Westway, see Westway Westway was the name of a proposed project to put New York Citys West Side Highway underground, first planned in 1972 and officially canceled in 1985. ... The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and, along its southern terminus, demarcates the border between the states of New York and... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. ... Particulates, alternately referred to as Particulate Matter (PM) , aerosols or fine particles are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in the air. ... This power plant in New Mexico releases sulfur dioxide and particulate matter into the air. ... Circuit courts previously were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district. ...

Several US state governments that have adopted "little NEPA's," i.e., state laws imposing EIS requirements for particular state actions and some of those state laws refer to the required environmental impact studies as Environmental Impact Reports or Environmental Impact Assessments. ^[4] For example, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ... The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a California law (California Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq. ...

These various state requirements are yielding voluminous data not just upon impacts of individual projects, but also to elucidate scientific areas that had not been sufficiently researched. For example, in a seemingly routine Environmental Impact Report for the city of Monterey, California, information came to light that led to the official federal endangered species listing of Hickman's potentilla, a rare coastal wildflower. For other uses, see Monterey (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Potentilla hickmanii Eastw. ... For other uses, see Wildflower (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Air pollution dispersion modeling
• Natural environment
• Leopold matrix
• List of environment topics
• Environmental impact design
• Environmental movement
• Ecological Footprint
• Environmental good
• Collective landscape
• Landscape Institute
• Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
• Social Impact Assessment
• Health Impact Assessment
• Environmental impact statement

Atmospheric dispersion modeling is performed with computer programs that use mathematical equations and algorithms to simulate how pollutants in the ambient atmosphere disperse in the atmosphere. ... This article is about the natural environment. ... The Leopold matrix is a qualitative environmental impact assessment method, used to identify the potential environmental impact of a project on the environment. ... This is a list of topics related (in whole or in part) to (a) phenomena in the natural environment which have a definite or significantly possible connection with human activity or (b) features of human activity which have a definite or significantly possible connection with the natural environment, even if... Environmental impact design The theory and practice of Environmental impact assessment developed from the appreciation that development projects can have negative impacts - externalities which harm the environment. ... The environmental movement (a term that sometimes includes the conservation and green movements) is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement. ... Environmental goods is a sub-category of public goods which includes: clean air clean water quiet beautiful landscape scenic towns green transport infrastructure (footpaths, cycleways, greenways, etc) a diverse flora a diverse fauna public parks town squares urban parks rivers mountains forests beaches See also Public goods Town planning Landscape... The term collective landscape was introduced to landscape architecture by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe who wrote, on the dust jacket of The landscape of man, that The world is moving into a phase when landscape design may well be recognized as the most comprehensive of the arts. ... Landscape Institute The UK professional body for landscape architects. ... Any piece of real estate can be the subject of a Phase I ESA. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a report prepared for a real estate holding which identifies potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities. ... // Introduction and definitions Social Impact Assessment first emerged in the 1970s, as a way to assess the impacts on society of certain development schemes and projects - for example, new roads, industrial facilities, mines, dams, ports, airports, and other infrastructure projects. ... Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is defined as a combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, program or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population. ... According to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) whenever the U.S. Federal Government takes a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment it must first consider the environmental impact in a document called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ...

External links

Environmental Impact Management - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

• European Commission - EIA website
• Environmental Impact Assessment at the University of Sydney
• Guide to Environmental Impact Assessment and Design
• International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA)
• Dutch Commission for EIA [3]
• UNU Open Educational Resource on EIA: A Course Module, Wiki and Instructional Guide

References

1. ^ Dr. Michael Watson, Environmental Impact Assessment and European Community Law, XIV International Conference "Danube-River of Cooperation", Beograd, November 13-15, 2003.
   www.members.tripod.com
2. ^ Court decision in Sierra Club v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
3. ^ News item in USA Today
4. ^ Sive,D. & Chertok,M., "Little NEPAs" and Environmental Impact Assessment Procedures

• Petts, J. (ed), Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Vol 1 & 2, Blackwell, Oxford ISBN 0-632-04772-0
• Environmental Impact Assessment Review (1980 - ), Elsevier
• Glasson, J; Therivel, R; Chadwick A, Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, (2005) Routledge, London
• IAIA - International Association for Impact Assessment in cooperation with Institute of Envi-ronmental Assessment (UK) (1999), Principles of EIA Best Practice; IAIA International Headquarters, ND 58103 USA.