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Environmental impact assessment: Myth or reality? Lessons from Spain

Author
Pardo M.
Journal/Series
Environmental Impact Assessment Review | Vol. 17(2); 123 - 142; 20 p.
Date
1997
Source
IUCN (ID: ANA-060812)
Publisher | Place of publication
Elsevier Science Inc. | New York, NY, USA
Language
English
Country/Territory
Spain
Subject
Environment gen.
Keyword
EIA
Abstract

This paper analyses the situation of EIA in Spain since its inception in 1988. The analysis covers the general framework (the national and the autonomous communities' laws, the official guidebooks, the agencies' procedure), the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) issued by the environmental national agency, and a sample of EIA studies of different type of projects. The results of this research show that (1) EIAs have been very general in their comtent, lacking a concrete analysis and without providing substantial solutions to the problems; (2) the socioeconomic analyses are frequently reduced to emphasizing the project's economic benefits while overlooking their potential harm; (3) especially serious is the acceptance of irregular EIA procedure by environmental agencies; and (4) public participation consists mainly in a bureaucratic process exhibiting the document for 30 days at the city hall. This paper concludess with a set of recommendations.