Environmental+assessment6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_assessment In general, environmental assessment (EA) is a process to predict the environmental effects of proposed initiatives before they are carried out. An environmental assessment: Environmental assessment process: 1. Determine if an environmental assessment is required. 2. Identify who's involved. 3. Plan the environmental assessment. 4. Conduct the analysis and prepare the environmental assessment report. 5. Review environmental assessment report. 6. Make environmental assessment decision. 7 . **Implement mitigation and follow-up program, as appropriate. **    (Source: [] ) In the Great Whale project, six different organizations were mandated to carry out an EA process that involved the following steps: 1. Proponent announces its intent to develop 2. Public “scoping” hearings provide input to study guidelines 3. Review bodies issue study guidelines 4. Proponent conducts study 5. Review bodies assess conformity of study to guidelines 6. Remedy of deficiencies in the study 7. Acceptance of revised study by review bodies 8. Public hearings 9. Review bodies deliberate and recommend The guidelines for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (step 3) embraced concepts of sustainable development, ecosystem integrity, cumulative impacts, and trans-boundary effects. The guidelines also called for a reconceptualization of ecosystems to include human activity, and required that cultural relativism be employed in evaluating environmental impacts. In conducting the EA (step 4) Hydro-Quebec was required to integrate mainstream western “science” and indigenous knowledge of socio-environmental impacts (Mulrennan 1998). After conducting the EA Hydro-Quebec submitted its EIS for review (step 5). The review bodies found the EIS lacking in seven major areas and required that 300 specific deficiencies be addressed. Hydro-Quebec had failed to study the environmental and social impacts identified by the Cree nation. Fortunately for the Cree, the newly elected Quebec government decided to shelve the Great Whale Project indefinitely (Mulrennan 1998). An environmental and social disaster had been averted.
 * __Environmental Assessment (Federal)__ ** The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) is the legal basis for the federal environmental assessment (EA) process. CEAA came into force in 1995.
 * identifies possible environmental effects
 * proposes measures to mitigate adverse effects
 * predicts whether there will be significant adverse environmental effects, even after the mitigation is implemented