Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Impact Statement
The obligations under Irish law in respect of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are derived from obligations incurred as a result of membership of the European Community within the terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and Regulations.
- An EIA is to be conducted before consent is given for projects likely to have significant effects on the environment by reason of their size, nature or location.
- The results of such EIA are contained in an EIS. Guidance notes in respect of the preparation of an EIA and EIS are available from the Environmental Protection Agency website at www.epa.ie.
Under the terms of the 2001 Regulations an EIS must contain the following
- A description of the proposed development, including information on its site, design and size
- A description of measures envisaged in order to reduce, avoid and eliminate any adverse affects of development
- The data required to identify and asses the main effects that the proposed development is likely to have on the environment
- An outline of the main alternatives studied by the developer and an indication of the main reasons for his or her choice taking into account the effects on the environment
- A description of the physical characteristics of the whole proposed development, and the land-use requirements during the construction and operational phases
- A description of the main characteristics of the production processes including the nature and quantity of the materials used
- An estimate by type and quantity of the expected residues and emissions (including water, air and soil pollution, noise, vibration, light, heat and radiation) resulting from the operation of the proposed development
- A description of the aspects of the environment likely to be particularly affected by the proposed development
- A description of the likely significant effects, (direct, indirect, secondary, cumulative, short medium and long term, permanent and temporary, positive and negative) of the proposed development resulting from (a) its existence, (b) the use of natural resources and (c) the emission of pollutants, creation of nuisances and elimination of waste and the forecasting methods used to assess the impact on the environment
- An indication of any difficulties encountered by the developer in compiling the required information