Environmental impact assessment and development of its report.

The «One Project» architectural office offers services for the development of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Impact Assessment", which entered into force on 12/18/2017.

We are ready to provide our customers with assistance in the process of obtaining a positive decision regarding the implementation of planned activities:

1. We will ensure the preparation of a notice on planned activities
2. We will register the message in the Unified register of the Environmental Impact Assessment
3. We will publish a message in the mass media
4. We will provide notification to the authorized bodies
5. We will prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report
6. Announcement of the start of public discussion of the report on the Environmental Impact Assessment
7. We will provide legal and technical support during the environmental impact assessment procedure.

The result of passing the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure is a conclusion from the Environmental Impact Assessment, which is issued by the authorized body.

The cost of Environmental Impact Assessment

The cost of conducting an environmental impact assessment in each specific case is purely individual and is calculated based on the labor costs of our specialists and the complexity of the task.

The price for the Environmental Impact Assessment services consists of costs for:

• development of a set of documents required by law;
• publication in printed local mass media;
• carrying out studies of the state of the environment in the location of the object of the planned activity;
• payment of the cost of public discussion;
• other activities related to publicizing and conveying information to the local public.

Terms of passing the Environmental Impact Assessment

The time for completing the environmental impact assessment procedure in each project can be significantly different and depends on the completeness of the available information component for the notification and report of the Environmental Impact Assessment and takes from 50 working days.

What is the environmental impact assessment for?

Environmental impact assessment is primarily intended to prevent the dangerous impact of any type of economic activity on the environment and to prevent harmful effects on public health.

Environmental impact assessment tasks:

• warning and prevention of environmental damage,
• ensuring environmental safety,
• environment protection,
• rational use of natural resources,
• reproduction of natural resources,
• taking into account state, public and private interests when making decisions about the implementation of economic activities that may have a significant impact on the environment.

Environmental impact means any consequences for the environment during economic activity, including consequences for:

• safety of people's life and their health,
• flora, fauna and their biological diversity,
• water, air, soil, climate, landscape,
• natural territories and objects,
• historical monuments and objects of cultural heritage

Environmental impact assessment is carried out in almost all developed countries. For example, in the countries of the European Union, it is mandatory to conduct an environmental inspection before issuing a permit for the implementation of all large projects that may cause a negative impact on the environment. Such EU Directive No. 337/85 "Assessment of the impact of certain public and private projects of economic activity on the environment" appeared back in 1988.

Regulatory and legislative framework for the Environmental Impact Assessment

• Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Impact Assessment" dated December 18, 2017
• The procedure for submitting documentation for the provision of an environmental impact assessment opinion.
• Criteria for determining the planned activity, which is not subject to environmental impact assessment,
• Procedure for holding public hearings.

Environmental impact assessment.

Earlier in Ukraine, there was an "Environmental Impact Assessment", which was regulated in accordance with:

• the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Protection",
• the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Expertise",
• DBN A.2.2-1-95 "Composition and content of environmental impact assessment materials during the design and construction of enterprises, buildings and structures."

The Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Impact Assessment" dated December 18, 2017 effectively repeals the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Expertise" and introduces a new procedure for environmental impact assessment, which is more modern and European, and which prohibits the business entity from carrying out the planned activity without an environmental impact assessment conclusion.

Who participates in the Environmental Impact Assessment process

The customer, the executor of the impact assessment works and the public participate in the Environmental Impact Assessment process.

1. The customer is engaged in the preparation of documentation for the planned activity in accordance with the regulatory requirements that are presented for a specific type of activity for environmental examination.
2. The environmental impact assessment executor carries out an environmental impact assessment on behalf of the customer. He is responsible for the completeness and reliability of assessments and their compliance with environmental regulations and standards. In the process of carrying out the technical task for environmental impact assessment, a study is conducted taking into account project alternatives, activity goals, ways of achieving them and other factors. As a result, a preliminary version of impact assessment materials appears, which the customer introduces to the public. After the results of public hearings and analysis of public comments, the executive prepares the final version of the impact assessment materials. The final version of the Environmental Impact Assessment is submitted for environmental expertise as part of other pre-project and project documentation.
3. The local public can participate in public hearings and public discussions, including in the procedural process at the stage of submitting the initial information and at the stages of conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment. Timely, adequate and effective public information is ensured in the process of environmental impact assessment.

Mandatory environmental impact assessment

The legislation provides for two groups of the list of types of economic activity, which must carry out an assessment of the impact on the environment and obtain a conclusion:

Group №1: нoil refineries and gas refineries; thermal power stations; installations for the production or enrichment of nuclear fuel, installations for the disposal of radioactive waste; ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy; asbestos processing facilities; chemical production (including production of basic chemicals, chemical-biological, biotechnical, pharmaceutical production using chemical or biological processes, production of plant protection products, plant growth regulators, mineral fertilizers, polymer and polymer-containing materials, varnishes, paints, elastomers, peroxides and other chemicals; production and storage of nanomaterials with a capacity of more than 10 tons per year), construction of airports, highways, hydraulic structures of ports, etc.

The Ministry of Ecology provides a conclusion on the assessment of the impact on the environment for Group №1.

Group №2: deep drilling; categories of agriculture; mining industry; energy industry; metal production and processing; processing of mineral raw materials; food industry categories, etc.

Local territorial bodies provide a conclusion on environmental impact assessment for Group №2.

Stages of environmental impact assessment

According to the law (Part 1 of Article 2), the environmental impact assessment is an administrative procedure that has clearly defined stages:

1. Preparation by the business entity of the report on the environmental impact assessment;
2. Conducting public hearings and public discussions;
3. Analysis by the authorized body of the information provided in the impact assessment report, as well as information from the public (public discussion), from the transboundary impact assessment procedure, etc.;
4. Provision of the environmental impact assessment conclusion by the authorized body, taking into account the results of the analysis of primary information;
5. Taking into account the conclusion of the environmental impact assessment when conducting business activities.

Another stage is to be included in the environmental impact assessment report, which is also regulated by the Law (Parts 7-10 of Article 5), and precedes the preparation by the business entity of the environmental impact assessment report - is determination of the scope of research and the level of detail of information. At this stage, the objects and depth of the study in the environmental impact assessment report are determined. At this stage, the public is already involved.

Development of the environmental impact assessment report

The report on the assessment of the impact on the environment determines the nature and degree of danger of any impact of the activity on the state of the environment and public health. When preparing it, we take into account comments and suggestions of the public, provided in the process of publishing the Notice or public discussion, or reasonably reject them. We also take into account all initial data provided by the business entity, which in turn, according to the law, is responsible for their reliability.

The environmental impact assessment report includes:

• description of the planned activity with a description of the technical characteristics and justified alternatives of the planned activity, the main reasons for choosing the proposed option, taking into account the environmental consequences;
• conclusions taking into account urban planning documentation regarding the investigation of the place of proceedings;
• description and research of the current state of the environment and detailing the effects on the environment and landscape;
• determination of monitoring measures and impact accounting;
• proposals for measures aimed at preventing negative impact;
• description of the expected negative impact;
• description of socio-economic risks;
• summary of the monitoring program and post-project monitoring plans;
• comments and suggestions received from the public.

After the environmental impact assessment report is ready, the business entity submits it and the announcement of the start of public discussion to the authorized body.

Public discussion of the environmental impact assessment report

The authorized body carries out public discussion of the environmental impact assessment report by receiving written comments and proposals and in the form of public hearings. This procedure can last from 25 to 35 working days and depends on the category of the planned activity and its cross-border impact. The notification of the beginning of the public discussion is published on the official website of the authorized body.

Conclusion on environmental impact assessment

The conclusion of the environmental impact assessment is issued by the Authorized Body. It determines the admissibility of the planned activity or justifies its inadmissibility, as well as the conditions for its implementation.

The conclusion provides information

• on the carried out environmental impact assessment procedure,
• on taking into account the report from the environmental impact assessment,
• about the considered and rejected comments and proposals received during the public discussion.

Certain factors are taken into account in the environmental impact assessment conclusion:

• the scale of influence in the form of territory area and population;
• the nature of the impact on the environment (mediated, cumulative, cross-border, permanent, temporary, etc.);
• measures that are provided to prevent, reduce and eliminate the impact on the environment.

The conclusion of the environmental impact assessment is binding.

It is extremely important to determine all possible impacts and their consequences for the environment, to develop measures for their reduction and prevention, in order to protect the business entity from possible adverse actions of regulatory bodies, fines, and negative public opinion during the implementation of the planned activities.

Involvement of the subject of economic activity in the comprehensive environmental impact assessment procedure of our project organization will contribute to the adoption of ecologically competent management decisions that will allow to pass the environmental impact assessment procedure positively and will benefit the enterprise and the environment.

The environmental impact assessment procedure requires a very responsible attitude and painstaking work, which should involve real specialists in this matter. The development and implementation of the environmental impact assessment should be entrusted to specialized organizations that have experience in this field.

The staff of the "One Project" architectural office will be happy to provide you with professional assistance in this matter. Contact us!

Consultation on obtaining the environmental impact assessment report is Free!

Materials were used from the website of the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine www.menr.gov.ua