consultant: cmdc joint venture transboundary effects

Consultant: CMDC Joint Venture

Transboundary effects


Transboundary effects

•Assessing if a certain activity has transboundary effects is important due to the division of competence between regional and national authorities;

•Assessment of transboundary effects should take place at a regional level since the regional competent authorities have to make an assessment of the environmental effects of a certain activity anyway.


Transboundary effects (2)

•A methodology for assessing transboundary effects should consist of the use of dispersion models as a test of environmental significance

•It is important to find out what pollution comes from which polluter;

•Only environmental effects which have a regional impact can be considered to be transboundary in the sense of the IPPC Directive.


Early communication

Early communication with the

neighbouring countries can help resolve

transboundary effect issues.


The importance of assessing transboundary effects

The relevant legislation:

• article 17 of the IPPC-Directive. • article 7 of the EIA-Directive.

If transboundary effects are to be expected, the relevant authority has to inform the neighbouring country of the planned activity to give the public of that country the right to voice its opinion on this activity.


Regional impacts

The relevant articles in the IPPC Directive do not intend to regulate global and trans-European environmental effects such as global warming and acidification.

Only environmental effects which have a regional impact, like air quality and surface water pollution.


Authority

• If there are transboundary effects, the application is referred to the Ministry of Environment, as this is the competent body.

• MoE will arrange with the Ministry of Environment in the affected Member State(s).

• The MoE will ensure that the regional authority is consulted and kept informed of progress with the application at all stages during its determination.


Transboundary effects?

Determining the presence of transboundary effects

• Dispersion of pollutants in surface water and noise can be quite easily calculated.

• The calculation of dispersion of pollutants into the air is a different matter.

In recent years several high-quality dispersion models of air pollution have been developed which could be used by the operators and state authorities.


Regional authority

Permit writers are advised to:

a.. Ensure that the operator has provided adequate and justified data on emissions to all environmental media

b. Check the dispersion model calculations to verify that they are accurate

c. If necessary check the calculations by running one of the widely available dispersion models for the environmental medium in question

d. Compare the data on maximum concentration for the chosen pollutants

e. Apply a test of environmental significance.


Decision on significance

• A decision has to be made which percentage of an air or water standard is considered significant;

• If the contribution of dispersed pollutants from an installation to the ambient environmental quality is < the percentage of the environmental quality standard → insignificant


Multiple polluters

• Assess which percentage of the existing pollution is caused by which polluter.

• This assessment in itself is a basic condition of good environmental permitting. A proper assessment of the emissions from a certain activity is vital for writing a permit.

consultant: cmdc joint venture transboundary effects

Documents