EIA`s contribution to environmental decision-making on large chemical plants

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Environmental Impact Assessment Review

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-9255(98)00010-9· OSTI ID:318889

Breda, L.M. van; Dijkema, G P.J. ^[1]

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1. Delft Univ. of Technology (Netherlands)

To obtain the environmental permits needed to build a large-scale chemical plant in The Netherlands, the initiator must write an environmental impact assessment (EIA). In a case study on the construction of a large chemical plant in The Netherlands, it was found that the associated decision-making is unstructured, uncontrollable, and unpredictable. Furthermore, the actual contents of the EIA contributed little to decision-making on the environmental permits. To alleviate the problems identified and to improve the quality of the EIA decision-making, the authors used the process approach to formulate a novel framework for environmental decision-making. The main differences between the proposed approach and the present Dutch situation are that all of the knowledge and opinions of all parties become available at the start of decision-making and that time pressure is largely avoided. The approach offers flexibility in decision-making and promotes the involvement of all relevant parties, which ensures effective problem handling.

• OSTI ID: 318889
• Journal Information: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Journal Name: Environmental Impact Assessment Review Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 18; ISSN 0195-9255; ISSN EIARDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
DECISION MAKING
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
LICENSES
NETHERLANDS