amt der salzburger landesregierung abteilung 16: umweltschutzandreas sommer environmental assessment...
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AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Environmental Assessment in FederationsEnvironmental Assessment in Federations Current Dynamics and Emerging Issues Current Dynamics and Emerging Issues
Ottawa, Canada, September 13 – 15, 2009
Environmental AssessmentEnvironmental Assessment
in Austriain Austria
The Province (Länder) GovernmentsThe Province (Länder) Governments
as Players in a Team Playas Players in a Team Play
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
ContentsContents
Introduction, overview Competencies Procedures Collaboration
Experience Procedures Technical aspects Quality assurance
SEA
Trends and challenges
Flash lights
EIA (focus) and SEA: procedural and EIA (focus) and SEA: procedural and technical aspectstechnical aspects
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Austria and its 9 Austria and its 9 LänderLänder
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
CompetenciesCompetencies European Union
Directives (EIA and SEA) and amendments (e.g. UN ECE Aarhus Convention)
Representation by member states federation
Role of the Länder
When affected: information, possibility of statements (similar procedures for the representation of the municipalities)
By means of the “Länder connecting body”
Possibility of “unitary statements” binding for the federation (e.g. for the SEA Directive)
Possibility of the nomination of Länder representatives
Problem: time !
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Competencies, cont.Competencies, cont.´d´dEIA in Austria:
Legislation: federal responsibility
Transposition
Consideration of European legislation requirements
Discretion of the member states vs. “word by word”
Enforcement: Länder responsibility
All projects except highways and high speed railroads
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Competencies, cont.Competencies, cont.´d 2´d 2 Competent authorities
Länder governments
Federal Minister of Transport
Provisions for delegation
Länder governments district administrative authorities (99 in Austria)
Federal Minister of Transport Governors of the Länder
Occurs rarely
focusfocus
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
ProceduresProcedures Subject to EIA
List with thresholds as well as
Case by case examinations (screening against criteria)
Highways and high speed railroads
Partly consolidated procedure
Minister: responsible for coordination
In addition: procedures by Länder Governors (federal law) and other Länder authorities (provincial law, e.g. on nature protection)
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Procedures, cont.´dProcedures, cont.´d
Projects listed in Annex I of the Austrian EIA Act
Consolidated (“concentrated”) development consent procedure
EIA procedures
Simplified procedures
Preliminary procedures: outline of project and EI statement (not mandatory)
(Plus possibly: declaratory procedures, amendment procedures, acceptance inspection procedures ...)
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Procedures, cont.´d Procedures, cont.´d 22(Some) specific requirements and aspects Consideration of
Sensitive areas (5 types) Cumulation of effects (inter alia to avoid “salami slicing”)
EI statement (by the applicants)
Additional aspects, e.g. traffic induced impacts, impact interactions Possibility of “No impact statements”
Time schedules: published on the internet, justification
Comprehensive EIA review report (by the authorities) Including discussion of comments (mandatory)
Post-project analysis
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Procedures, cont.´d Procedures, cont.´d 33
Coordinators Both at the authorities' and the applicants' side
“Inspection catalogues“
Explicit questions to the experts
Systematic structure
In order to ensure integrative assessment
Basis of the Comprehensive EIA review report
Guidance documents, check-lists
Some established approaches and instruments (“good practice”)
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
CollaborationCollaboration Länder governments
Cooperating authorities (provincial as well as federal authorities)
Experts: engaged by authorities (most of them)
External experts: have to be paid by applicants
Federal Minister of Environment
Statements to EI statement (as well as host municipality and ombudsman for the environment)
Projects crossing more than one Land (e.g. linear projects): Coordinated decisions
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: ProcedureExperiences: Procedure 2 Evaluations: 2000 and 2006
Some numbers (mainly between 2000 and 2009):
595 declaratory procedures finished (administrative orders) For 81 % no EIA necessary
218 development consent procedures
(All in all) 71 % approved so far
(All in all) 42 % with simplified procedure
167 Annex I projects
51 highways and high speed railroads
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: Procedure, Experiences: Procedure, cont.´dcont.´d Appeals
Provisions for locus standi, right of participation, right of appeal
Locus standi for different parties
e.g. for development consent procedures: applicant, neighbours, parties stipulated by the applicable administrative provisions, host municipality, (affected) directly adjoining municipalities, ombudsman for the environment, water management planning body, citizens´ groups, environmental organisations.
For Annex I procedures: (Independent) Environmental Senate (federal authority) approx. 50 % of decisions
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: Procedure, Experiences: Procedure, cont.´d 2cont.´d 2 Transboundary impacts
Espoo convention: ratified in 1994, into force in 1997
Bilateral agreements
Foreign projects: 16 procedures; Austrian projects: 6 procedures
Public participation Placement of documents, public hearing (authorities responsible)
Environmental organisations: registered (29)
Citizens´ groups: 200 persons
Ombudsman for the environment
Mediation
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: Possibly Experiences: Possibly necessary permits without necessary permits without EIAEIA
project
water
waste mining
railroad
air
nature protection
forest
industry
construction
monumentsroad
energyevent
aviation
...
industrial safety
?
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences:Experiences:Consolidated EIA Consolidated EIA ProcedureProcedure
1
authority
procedure
permit
project
1
The consolidated procedure is the most frequently The consolidated procedure is the most frequently expressed advantage of the EIA in Austriaexpressed advantage of the EIA in Austria
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: technical Experiences: technical aspectsaspects List approach
Charming: “simple”
Problems: justification for thresholds
Integrative assessment Systematic approach
Comprehensive assessment, e.g. interactions and interrelations
Contributes significantly to the acceptance by the public
Practice in Salzburg Additional check-lists, e.g. for scoping
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
competent authority EIA coordination
applicant
•coordination of experts•assess technical standards•clarify domains, define scope
•technical trade-off, methodology
•final comprehensive report•...
•conduct the procedure•assure compliance with formal permit requirements
•involve coperating authorities, third parties, Federal Ministry
•announcements•administrative order•...
expert domain 1
expert domain 2
expert domain n
coop. authority 1
coop. authority 2
coop. authority n
expert 1
expert 2
expert n
EIA coordination (in EIA coordination (in Salzburg)Salzburg)
§§
€€
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Experiences: Quality Experiences: Quality assuranceassurance Environmental Council
Reports of the Minister of Environment to the National Council Every 3 years
EIA documentation (Federal Environmental Agency) Publicly available
Environmental Senate: Analysis of legal rules
Working group Federal and provincial units Sup-groups Guidance documents Web platform: documents, links Exchange of
knowledge and:
networking !
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
And SEA ?And SEA ? (Much) less experience
Competences: more complicated
Different implementation (federal and provincial level):
Integrated into existing legislation
New SEA legislation (procedural)
Different sectors affected
Federal level: waste, noise, air pollution, transport, water (plus: European structural funds programmes)
Länder level: (in adition) land use planning, nature protection, hunting, fishing, agriculture
mainly affected
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
SEA, cont.´dSEA, cont.´d Procedures
Federal level: 3
Länder level: some dozen
(Screenings: some hundreds)
Working group Federal and provincial units involved
Support Guidance documents Tool kit on the internet Collection of good practice examples
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Emerging trends and Emerging trends and challengeschallenges Avoiding duplication
e.g. when both EIA and SEA procedures are required
Joint or coordinated procedures
In practice: a long way
Post-project analysis and monitoring
Question of consequences (e.g. with regard to legal certainty)
Public participation
“NIMBY” (in Austria called the “Floriani principle”)
Mixture with political interests
NGOs, citizen groups: overburdened, claim for funding
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Emerging trends and Emerging trends and challenges, cont.´dchallenges, cont.´d “Priority” projects
Attempts for special facilities (e.g. infrastructure, energy)
Economic situation Pressure and the “balance of bureaucracy”: no
“golden plating” vs. additional duties
Shortage of resources (staff) – e.g. no access rights for authorities
Public service unit vs. “always at service” (easy and expeditious)
What federations (might) face in addition:What federations (might) face in addition:More governments/parliaments More governments/parliaments more elections (and more elections (and campaigns) campaigns) less space for decisions ... less space for decisions ...
Comprehensive list
of all accepted standard solutions („magic bullets“):
AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 16: UMWELTSCHUTZ Andreas Sommer
Thank you for your attention !