Environmental Impact

Assessment
Environmental Engineering
A.Y. 2013-2014
Legal Background
The 1987 Philippine Constitution
The State shall protect and advance the

right of the people to a balanced and

healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm
and harmony of nature.

- Article II, Section 16

PD 1151 (1977):
Philippine Environmental Policy

Required sponsors of all government and private

projects affecting the quality of the environment to
prepare an assessment of the projects environmental
impacts
urgent need to formulate an intensive, integrated

program of environmental protection that will bring

about a concerted effort towards the protection of the
entire spectrum of the environment through a
requirement of environmental impact assessments
and statements.

3rd Whereas Clause of P.D. 1151

Definition
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a
"process that involves predicting and
evaluating the likely impacts of a project
(including cumulative impacts) on the
environment during construction,
commissioning, operation and abandonment.
It also includes designing appropriate
preventive, mitigating and enhancement
measures addressing these consequences to
protect the environment and the community's
welfare."
Purpose of the EIA
Process
As a basic principle, EIA is used to enhance
planning and guide decision-making.

In this Manual, EIA is primarily presented in

the context of a requirement to integrate
environmental concerns in the planning
process of projects at the feasibility stage.
 A positive determination by the DENR-EMB
results to the issuance of an Environmental
Compliance Commitment (ECC) document, to
be conformed to by the Proponent and
represents the projects Environmental
Compliance Certificate. The release of the
ECC allows the project to proceed to the next
stage of project planning, which is the
acquisition of approvals from other
government agencies and LGUs, after which
the project can start implementation.
Screening
Determines if a project is covered or not
covered by the PEISS.

Scoping
Identifies the most significant issues/impacts
of a proposed project, and then, delimits the
extent of baseline information to those
necessary to evaluate and mitigate the
impacts.
EIA Study and Report
Preparation

Involves a description of the proposed project and

its alternatives, characterization of the project
environment, impact identification and prediction,
evaluation of impact significance, impact
mitigation, formulation of Environmental
Management and Monitoring Plan

EIA Report Review and Evaluation

An EMB procedural screening for compliance
to minimum requirements
Decision Making
Involves evaluation of EIA recommendations
and the draft decision document,
resulting to the issuance of an ECC, CNC or
Denial Letter.
When approved, a covered project is issued

its certificate of Environmental Compliance

Commitment (ECC)
while an application of a non-covered

project is issued a Certificate of Non-

Coverage (CNC).
Monitoring, Validation and
Evaluation
Assesses performance of the Proponent

against the ECC and its commitments in the

Environmental Management and Monitoring
Plans to ensure actual
impacts of the project are adequately
prevented or
mitigated.
Environmental Impact
Assessment
By Jhon Daroing
 Environmental Impact
Assessmentor (EIA) is an
assessment of the possible
impacts that a proposed project
may have on the environment,
consisting of theenvironmental,
social and economic aspects.
 The purpose of the assessment
is to ensure that decision makers
consider the environmental
impacts when deciding whether
or not to proceed with a project.
 Methods:
There are general and industry specific
assessment methods available.
1. Industrial products- Product

environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) is

used for identifying and measuring the
impact of industrial products on the
environment. These EIAs consider
activities related to extraction of raw
materials, equipment, and production.
 2. Fuzzy logic- EIA methods need
measurement data to estimate values
of impact indicators.
However many of the environment

impacts cannot be quantified, e.g.

landscape quality, lifestyle quality and
social acceptance. Instead information
from similar EIAs, expert judgment
and community sentiment are
employed. Approximate reasoning
methods known as fuzzy logic can be
 However it does not end there where you come
up with an idea. There is still a follow up
At the end of the project, an audit evaluates

the accuracy of the EIA by comparing actual to

predicted impacts. The objective is to make
future EIAs more valid and effective. Two
primary considerations are:
3. Scientific- to examine the accuracy of

predictions and explain errors

4. Management- to assess the success of

mitigation in reducing impacts

5. Structure
The structure of a generic Environmental Assessment is as

follows:

Summary
Introduction
Background
Purpose and Need for Action
Proposed Action
Decision Framework
Public Involvement
Issues
Alternatives, including the Proposed Action
Alternatives
Mitigation Common to All Alternatives
Comparison of Alternatives
Environmental Consequences
Consultation and Coordination