Environmental Impact Assessment
General Information
Environmental Impact Assessment is a system by which a proponent itself conducts survey, projection, and evaluation of environmental impact arising from implementation of the project in advance, publicizes the results and hears the opinions of relevant parties, and then draws up even better project plan based on them from the aspect of environmental conservation.
The upcoming capacity enhancement (additional construction and extension of runways) deems to be a target project for environmental assessment based on “Environmental Impact Assessment Law” in terms of project scale.
What is Environmental Impact Assessment?
In order to prevent serious environmental impact caused by the development project, it is important to previously consider not only the relevant project’s necessity and profitability but also environmental conservation before determining the details of the project.
Born out of such idea is Environmental Impact Assessment. Environmental Assessment is a system by which a proponent itself conducts survey, projection, and evaluation of environmental impact arising implementation of the project when determining the content of the development project, publicizes the results and hears the opinions of the general public, local public entities, and others, and then draws up even better project plan based on them from the aspect of environmental conservation.
Target project for Environmental Impact Assessment Law
Environmental Impact Assessment Law is enacted in 1997 and put into force in its entirety in 1999.
There are thirteen kinds of projects including road, dam, railway, airport, and power plant.
Large-scale projects are treated as Class 1 project requiring the environmental assessment procedure. The upcoming capacity enhancement (additional construction and extension of runways) falls under Class 1 project.
5 Steps
The environmental impact assessment are classified into 5 stages and will be sequentially implemented from FY 2016.
- Step 1:
- Procedures for Environmental Impact Consideration Statement: In order to perform environmental impact consideration at an early stage of projects, we shall discuss matters to be properly considered at the stage of planning of the projects.
- Step 2:
- Procedures for Assessment Approach Statement: We shall plan the approach to implement the environmental assessment, publicize the approach statement, and then hear various opinions.
- Step 3:
- Procedures for Draft Assessment Statement: Based on the approach statement, we shall perform survey, prediction, and assessment, publicize the results and content of environmental conservation measures as draft statement, and then hear various opinions.
- Step 4:
- Procedures for Final Assessment Statement: We shall discuss the content of opinions about the draft statement, revise the content as required, and then draw up and publicize the assessment statement.
- Step 5:
- Procedures for Assessment Report: We shall monitor changes in environment after starting the project, and then compile and publicize the report.
We shall start the procedures for environmental impact consideration statement on June 9, 2016, and receive the opinion from Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation on August 25, thereby completing the procedures.
We shall start the procedures for assessment approach statement on January 25, 2017, and receive the opinions from the governors of Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures respectively on July 5 and 10, thereby completing the procedures.
Procedures for draft assessment statement is to be started on April 24, 2018.
