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Introduction
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Introduction
The Russian environmental assessment system (the national procedure of Environmental Impact Assessment) is derived from the former Soviet decision-making system for the evaluation of economic activity projects. This decision-making system was based mainly on an engineering approach with special emphasis on the technical norms and construction regulations and rules. Subsequent assessment of the quality of technical solutions and project documentation was assigned to the agencies of the National Expertise of the State Committee of Building of the Russian Federation (“expertise”).
The present day environmental assessment system was expanded on under the influence of three main factors, in particular: i) the reformation of the public sector of the economy, development of market relations and democracy; ii) the development of public awareness regarding environmental risks and the pressure placed on the Government to take the appropriate measures to ensure human health and enhancement of environmental quality; and iii) the development of environmental impact assessment at the international level and ratification by the Russian Federation of international conventions in the sphere of environmental protection.
Transition to the market economy and emergence of private investment projects required modification of the environmental assessment system, in particular, the introduction of changes to distinguish the role of private businessmen as developers of investment projects and state environmental authorities. These provisions were laid down in the Russian Federation Law entitled “On Environmental Protection” (1991). According to the new environmental requirements formulated in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents at the beginning of the 1990s the environmental impact assessment of an investment project is a mandatory procedure, which should be organized by the initiator of the project; this function is no longer a control function of the state. The Federal Law “On Environmental Review” (1995) specified and strengthened the role of public authorities.
The most active interest of the general public toward environmental issues was observed at the beginning of the 1990s. The reason, in part, for the high public interest has been from the information about recent ecological catastrophes. It is true that the public environmental movements were in the front line of political reform activities. In the latter half of the 1990s, the interest of the general public and, as a consequence, the principal concern of the Government toward environmental issues gradually began to weaken in view of the need to solve higher priority issues. These issues related to economic development, and the working out and implementation of measures for transitioning to a market economy. For example, in the first version of the Concept of the Social and Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the period to 2030, environmental goals were not even mentioned, however later on the Concept was supplemented with a section about environmental protection.
On the whole, political and social conditions (context) contributed to the development of an environmental management system; however reorganization of the whole environmental protection sphere and its weakening in the Russian Federation, which has been going on over the last years, has had an adverse impact on the functioning of the environmental assessment system.
Basic terms and definitions
Environmental assessment – the national procedure for environmental impact assessment (EIA). This process entails systematic analysis and assessment of ecological and related social and other consequences of a planned activity as well as consideration of the results of this analysis prior a decision on the granting or refusal of any development consent. In the Russian Federation, it includes studies on environmental impact assessment of the planned activities and the conduct of the environmental review (state and public) and documentation, including the rationale for the planned undertaking, developed with due regard to the results of EIA.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). EIA is a process intended to contribute to an ecologically oriented administrative decision with regard to the realization of a planned economic or some other type of activity. It entails revealing the possible adverse impacts of the activity, assessing its environmental implications and the responsiveness of public opinion, and developing mitigation measures.
Environmental review is the ascertainment of the correspondence of the planned economic activities, or some other types of activities, to the environmental requirements and the permissibility of the implementation of the object (project) under environmental review. Environmental review is conducted in order to prevent possible adverse effects of the project on the environment and related social, economic and other types of consequences of realization of the object under environmental review.
State environmental review. In the course of this process the Competent Authority identifies the compliance of the planned economic activities and other types of activities with environmental standards and performance requirements.
Strategic environmental assessment is the process of analysis, assessment and consideration of possible adverse environmental and social implications of the planned strategies (policies), plans or programmes before a decision is made on development consent.
