Connecting the Environmental Management System and Environmental Impact Assessment for Pipeline Projects

Author(s):  
Kent Lien ◽  
Ken J. Colosimo

The National Energy Board of Canada (NEB) oversees all aspects, including environmental protection, of the construction and operation of hydrocarbon transmission pipelines under federal jurisdiction. The NEB’s regulatory approach is to minimize regulatory burden while maintaining a high standard of environmental protection. To achieve this, the NEB is working toward implementing a flexible, risk-based regulatory approach in which processes fit the scope and range of applications it receives. The NEB requires its regulated companies to develop and implement the equivalent of an environmental management system relating to all aspects of their business. In evaluating the companies’ compliance, the NEB conducts formal audits of these systems to ensure they are appropriately developed, maintained and implemented. The NEB has recently initiated changes to its regulatory processes to utilize companies’ management system information collected during the audits to enhance its application and assessment processes. This paper will discuss how concepts related to risk and management systems principles and information collected during an environmental management system audit can be integrated into a regulator’s environmental impact assessment for a proposed pipeline project. How knowledge and lessons learned are transferred through all stages of the pipeline life cycle will also be discussed.

Author(s):  
Jeremy Ridl ◽  
Ed Couzens

In mid-2006, new Regulations governing environmental impact assessment were published in terms of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998.  It is argued in this article that the old Regulations under the Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989, which were replaced, had proved inadequate not because of any inherent deficiency, but because they were never properly implemented and because they were instead subjected to much inaccurate criticism.  The article then canvasses the old Regulations and considers criticisms thereof, before canvassing the new Regulations and assessing differences between the old and the new.  Various specific concerns and potential shortcomings are raised and considered; and various interpretations are offered of problematic provisions.  A prognosis for the success and/or failure of the new Regulations is then put forward in the context of the South African government's present approach to economic growth, environmental protection and the enforcement of environmental legislation.  Finally, it is argued that there are danger signs that the new Regulations will be as misunderstood and misapplied as were the old Regulations and that the fundamental principles of the National Environmental Management Act are likely not to be adhered to in the implementation of the new Regulations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
Л. Л. Прокопенко ◽  
Н. Л. Тішкова

The article analyzes the process of adaptation of the national legislation to the European standards in accordance with the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. In particular, in the sector “Environmental management and integration of environmental policy in other sectoral policies”, the implementation of Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programs for the environment and Directive 2011/92/EC on the assessment of the impact of certain public and private projects on the environment was considered. The influence of environmental management tools and the integration of environmental policy on other sectoral policies have been determined and their interrelation with the rest of the sectors in the field of environmental protection has been established. It has been established that environmental assessment is the main instrument for ensuring environmental considerations in the development of plans and programs and contributes to sustainable development through the promotion of environmental protection issues in economic and social development.The procedures of strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment have been characterized; their subjects and objects have been clarified. The peculiarities of these procedures, stages and advantages of their application in the national practice of public environmental management are presented. The way of implementation of strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment at the level of the European community is considered, and examples of their practical application at the level of the EU member states are presented.It is indicated that strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment are procedural tools used to prevent any possible negative effects of economic activity on the environment and public health. A comparative analysis of these procedures was carried out and links and differences were identified. It has been proved that the effectiveness of strategic environmental assessment in preventing environmental hazards is significantly higher than environmental impact assessments. The problem aspects and perspectives in the field of practical implementation of legislation in the field of environmental assessment in Ukraine are highlighted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Vincent Onyango ◽  
Henri Wiman

Indigenous peoples’ participation in public policy and planning is ascribed in numerous international and national legal instruments as essential to the realisation of their self-determination. This study examines how the Akwé: Kon guidelines (AK) can promote effective indigenous peoples participation in environmental management, especially during environmental impact assessment (EIA). Special focus is drawn on the Finnish context, home of the Sámi indigenous people. The study applies an effectiveness review package by Lee and Colley (1999), supplemented by interview and questionnaire surveys, to analyse how effective the AK have been. It was found that although they were useful in promoting further interaction of the Sámi with authorities, the AK did not address their most fundamental political and legal grievances. This leaves room for EIA policy and practice, in Finland and all other jurisdictions with indigenous peoples, to consider how they can more effectively harness the potentialities in AK.


Author(s):  
M.M. Slivka ◽  
N.V. Lesko

The article is devoted to the study of legislative regulation of the powers of local governments in the field of environmental protection and the development of proposals for their improvement. It is noted that local governments occupy an separate and independent place in the mechanism of public administration, which indicates their special administrative and legal status. It is emphasized that local self-government bodies should be endowed with a sufficient amount of powers that would allow them to protect the interests of the administrative-territorial community in the field of environmental protection as effectively as possible. It is stated that the Constitution as the Basic Law of the state, taking into account the global importance of the issue of environmental protection should clearly and without any ambiguity in interpretation contain an article according to which local governments will be empowered to exercise primary control over environmental protection. natural environment at the local level and bringing perpetrators to justice. It is proposed to supplement Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine «On Environmental Protection», which defines the powers of local councils in the field of environmental protection, paragraph «й» of the following content: "decide to bring to administrative responsibility those guilty of violating legislation in the field of environmental protection environment of individuals and / or legal entities ". It is highlighted that based on the analysis of Part 4 of Art. 42 of the Law of Ukraine «On Local Self-Government in Ukraine», village, town, city mayor have a wide range of powers, but among these powers there are no ones that would give them the right to monitor compliance with environmental legislation in the region and bring perpetrators to justice. It is emphasized that local governments are given broad powers in terms of controling the activities of economic entities and they should be included as a subject of a lawsuit in accordance with Art. 16 of the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Impact Assessment" in case of violations in the field of environmental impact assessment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Zvyaginceva ◽  
Svetlana Sazonova ◽  
V. Kul'neva

The problem of processing industrial products and waste from various industries containing metallic mercury or its compounds, which is acute in connection with the increasing requirements for environmental protection and, in particular, water resources, is considered. The results of calculation of the formation of mercury-containing waste and the development of a set of measures for the rational use of water resources of the OPS LLC «EVO» are presented. The environmental impact of the environmental impact assessment of OPS LLC «EVO» was assessed. As a result of such an assessment, the main sources of pollution of the water basin were identified. An assessment of the environmental impact of the LLC «EVO» company and analysis of the technology for processing mercury-containing wastes were carried out. The developed comprehensive measures for the protection and rational use of water resources will contribute to improving the level of environmental safety.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Vikram Singh Rajput ◽  
Santosh Kumar Sar ◽  
Shweta Singh ◽  
Vijita Diwan

NH 6 is the national highway which connects Mumbai to Kolkata. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for the proposed NH 6 Toll Road project has been undertaken in accordance with the EIA Regulations. Proposed project road connecting the villages and towns by providing better quality and safe roads to the users in a sustainable and environment friendly manner. Government of India (GoI) through Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) enforces Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 for environmental protection because of intervention of new projects or activities, or on expansion and modernization of existing projects or activity based on their environmental impacts.


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