Page 103 - Hydrocarbon

90 Environment

and its outcome will have a significant impact on the overall project schedule.
Hence, early consultation, stakeholder participation and maximising the use of local
knowledge are critical success factors.
An EIA commences with a baseline study which describes and inventorises the
natural initial flora, fauna, the aquatic life, land and seabed conditions prior to any
activity. The duration of an EIA depends on the size and type of area under study,
and the previous work done, but may typically take at least 6 months. However,
to establish a valid database may require monitoring over several seasons (years).
The EIA is often a ‘critical path item’ and should not be omitted from the planning
schedule.
The results of the assessment are documented in an environmental impact statement
(EIS), which discusses the beneficial and adverse impacts considered to result from
the activity. The report is one component of the information upon which project
approval depends. A final decision can be made with due regard being paid to the
likely consequences of adopting a particular course of action, and where necessary
by introducing appropriate monitoring and mitigation programs.

5.3.2. The EIA process

Essentially, the EIA is a systematic process that examines the environmental
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consequences of development actions, in advance. The emphasis of EIA is on
prevention. The role of EIA has changed with time. Originally it was regarded very
much as a defensive tool whereas now it is moving to apply techniques which
can add positive value to the environment and society in general. The EIA should
be regarded as a process which is constantly changing in response to shifting
environmental pressures.
The EIA is a ‘before project’ audit. However, baseline studies may be required
again later on in the project, for instance to help refine impact predictions. Baseline
studies can account for a significant part of the overall EIA cost since they require
extensive field studies.
Certain key stages in the EIA process have been adopted by many countries.
These broad stages reflect what is considered to be good practice within
environmental assessment and include

Screening: undertaken to decide which projects should be subject to environ-
mental assessment. Screening may be partly determined by local EIA regulations.
Criteria used include threshold, size of project and sensitivity of the environment.
Scoping: identifies, at an early stage, the most significant issues to be included in
the EIA. Many early EIAs were criticised because they were encyclopaedic and
included irrelevant information.
Consideration of alternatives: seeks to ensure that the proposer has considered other
feasible options including location, scales, processes, layouts, operating conditions
and the ‘no action’ option.

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This section: courtesy of CORDAH.