EIA

• Sustainable Development (SD) definition and concept:

  • Human societies must live and meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
  • Idea widely used and promoted as a mainstream concept and practice throughout the world
  • Historic events that lead to the evolution of sustainable development and became the central guiding principle for every development endeavors and assessments
• Objectives of understanding Sustainable Development:

  • How sustainable development paradigm was developed
  • How it became popular and widely used
  • Understanding the concept of SD and its integration to EIA as a guiding principle
• Sustainable Development Definition & Concept:

  • Brundtland Commission developed the most widely used definition of sustainable development
  • World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) created through a resolution by the UN in 1983
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland from Norway headed the Commission
  • In 1987, WCED published the "Our Common Future" report, introducing the concept of Sustainable Development
  • SD is a development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• • Intergenerational equity means fairness in the intertemporal distribution of benefits from existing natural assets
  • SD implies limits imposed by the present state of technology and social organization on environmental resources
• • 2009: UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution agreeing to hold UNCSD in 2012
  • 2012: UNCSD (Rio+20) held with themes on green economy and poverty eradication
• History of Sustainable Development:

  • 1972: UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden
  • 1982: IUCN published the World Conservation Strategy
  • 1983: WCED (Brundtland Commission) created
  • 1987: WCED published "Our Common Future" report
  • 1992: UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 1993/1997: General Assembly dedicated UNGASS-19 to design a "Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21"
  • 2002: World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) convened in Johannesburg, SA
• The three pillars of Sustainable Development:

  • Nature, Society, and Economy
  • SD promotes the development of all three domains without compromising each other
  • Growth objectives should be compatible with the needs of society and natural dynamics of ecosystems
• The Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development (PSSD):

  • PSSD adopted by the Cabinet in October 1989
  • Philippine government adopted "Philippine Agenda 21" in 1996
  • Operational criteria for sustainability of projects at the local level issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
  • Operational test of sustainability includes economic, ecological, technological, political, socio-cultural, and institutional viability
• Sustainable Development as the guiding principle of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

  • DENR policy to implement a systems-oriented and integrated approach to the EIS system to ensure a rational balance between socio-economic development and environmental protection for present and future generations
• History of EIA:

  • EIA started in the United States in 1969 and was later adopted by many countries, including the Philippines in 1978
  • PD 1151 established the Philippine Environmental Policy, requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for projects with significant environmental impacts
  • PD 1586 established the PEISS to balance socioeconomic growth and environmental protection
  • DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 21 granted authority to grant or deny ECCs to Non-ECPs in ECAs
  • DAO 11 operationalized the Programmatic EIA (PEIA) approach for co-located projects
• • PP No. 2146 proclaimed the coverage of ECPs and ECAs
  • Various laws have been passed to strengthen the EIA system and procedures
• Basic Policy & Operating Principles of the PEISS:

  • The EIA system aims to ensure a rational balance between socio-economic development and environmental protection
  • The EIS System assesses direct and indirect impacts of a project on the environment
  • Project proponents are responsible for disclosing all relevant information for environmental impact assessment
  • EIA reports are reviewed based on criteria such as integration of environmental considerations, technical soundness, and effective mitigation measures
• • Timely, full, and accurate disclosure of information is crucial for regulatory review
• Definition of EIA & Related Terms:

  • EIA involves predicting and evaluating project impacts on the environment
  • EIA includes designing preventive, mitigating, and enhancement measures
  • EIS is a comprehensive study of project impacts on the environment
  • IEE is an Initial Environmental Examination report with reduced details compared to an EIS
  • ECC is an Environmental Compliance Certificate ensuring compliance with environmental regulations
  • CNC is a Certificate of Non-Coverage for projects not covered by the EIS System
• • ECPs are projects with high potential for significant negative environmental impact
  • ECAs are environmentally sensitive areas with expected significant environmental impacts
  • EIS System assesses project effects on the physical, biological, and socio-economic environment
• Purpose of the EIA Process:

  • Enhance planning and guide decision making
  • Planning, management, and regulatory tool in addressing environmental problems
  • Protect the environment from damage
  • Improve public participation and government decisions
  • Attain economic efficiency
• Outcomes or results of EIA:

  • Modify and improve project design
  • Promote efficient resource use
  • Enhance social aspects
  • Identify measures for monitoring and managing impacts
  • Inform decision making
  • Justify project proposals
• Core values of EIA:

  • Sustainability: results in environmental safeguards
  • Integrity: conforms to agreed standards
  • Utility: provides balanced, credible information for decision making
• Benefits of having an EIS for development endeavors:

  • More environmentally sustainable design
  • Better compliance with standards
  • Savings in capital and operating costs
  • Reduced time and costs for approvals
  • Avoid later or delayed project implementation
  • Reduce health costs
  • Increase project acceptance
• Scope of the EIA System:

  • Projects with potential significant environmental impact require ECCs
  • ECC issuance does not exempt from other required permits
  • Factors considered: nature of the project and potential negative impacts, sensitivity of environmental resources
• Specific criteria for determining projects covered by the EIS System:

  • Characteristics of the project or undertaking
  • Location of the project
  • Nature of potential impact
• Covered Projects of the EIS System:

  • ECPs and ECAs covered by PEISS
  • List of ECP Categories:
  • Heavy Industries
  • Resource Extractive Industries
  • Infrastructure Projects
  • All golf courses
  • List of ECA Categories:
  • Areas declared as national parks, wildlife preserves, etc.
  • Areas with endangered species habitats
  • Areas of historic, archaeological, or scientific interests
  • Areas occupied by cultural communities
  • Areas prone to natural calamities
  • Areas with critical slopes
  • Prime agricultural lands
  • Recharged areas of aquifers
• • Water bodies and mangrove areas
  • Coral reefs
• Summary List of Additional Non-ECP in ECAs:

  • Agriculture industry
  • Buildings, storage facilities, and other structures
  • Chemical industries
  • Cottage industries
  • Demonstration and pilot projects
  • Environmental enhancement and mitigation projects
  • Food and related industries
  • Packaging materials and miscellaneous
  • Pipeline projects
  • Textile, wood, and rubber industries
  • Tourism
  • Transport terminal facilities industry
  • Waste management projects products industries
  • Water supply, irrigation, or flood control
  • Treasure hunting in NIPAS areas
  • Wildlife farming or related projects
• Unit II - Overview of the PEISS:

  • History of the PEISS
  • Basic policy and operating principles of the PEISS
  • Definition of EIA and related terms
  • Purpose of the EIA Process
  • Covered projects of the PEISS
  • EIA Review and ECC issuance vested on DENR
  • Decisions on EIA applications
  • Public participation in the EIA
• Unit I - Sustainable Development:

  • Sustainable development's integration as a guiding principle in the PEISS
  • Historical development of EIA in the Philippines
  • Explanation of EIA and related concepts, objectives, and operating principles
  • Different project coverage of EIA
  • Importance of public participation in EIA
• Categories of Projects/Undertakings under the EIS system:

  • Group I:
  • ECPs in either ECAs or NECAs
  • Includes Golf Course projects, Heavy Industries, Fishery, Logging, and Grazing projects with EIS requirement
  • Projects introducing exotic fauna in forests, major wood processing, mining, and infrastructure projects
  • Group II:
  • Non-ECPs in ECAs
  • Includes Heavy Industries, Fishery, Logging projects with IEE requirement
  • Minor wood processing, mining, quarrying, and infrastructure projects
  • Group III:
  • All NECPs in NECAs
• Co-located Projects:

  • Group IV:
  • Co-located projects managed by one administrator in a contiguous area
  • May include economic zones, industrial parks, or a mix of projects within a geographical area
  • Group V (Unclassified Projects):
  • Projects not listed in any groups, using new processes/technologies with uncertain impacts
• EIA Report Type and Generic Contents:

  • New project EIA:
  • EIS, Programmatic EIS, IEE Report, IEE Checklist for covered projects in Groups I, II, and IV
  • Project Description Report for non-covered projects in Groups II and III
  • For operating projects:
  • Environmental Performance Report and Management Plan or Programmatic EPRMP
  • Substantive contents of a typical EIA Report:
  • Project Description, Baseline Environmental Description, Impact Assessment, Environmental Management Plan
• EIA Review & ECC Issuance vested on DENR:

  • EIA reports submitted to DENR for review and evaluation
  • ECCs issued by the DENR Secretary
  • Final decision on forestry projects issued by EMB Central office or DENR Secretary
• Decision on EIA Application:

  • Outcome of the EIA process results in ECC, CNC, or Denial Letter
  • ECC issuance from positive review of EIS or IEE
  • CNC from positive review of Project Description Report
  • Denial Letter provides guidance for improving the application
• Public Participation in EIA:

  • Public participation demonstrated in all stages of the EIA process
  • Stages include pre-scoping, public scoping, EIA study, public hearing, ECC/CNC issuance, post-ECC validation
• Unit II - Overview of the PEISS
• Unit III - Steps of the EIA Process:

  • Screening
  • Scoping
  • EIA study and report preparation
  • EIA report review and evaluation
  • Decision making
  • Monitoring, validation and evaluation audit
• Unit I - Sustainable Development
• Sustainable development is integrated as a guiding principle in the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEISS)
• Evolutionary process of EIA in the country through time
• Definition of EIA and related component terms
• Different projects covered by EIA as defined by laws
• Importance of public participation in the EIA process