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ENVS 305: Environmental Impact Assessment (Rev. 2 & 3) Report a Broken Link

Environmental Studies 305: Environmental Impact Assessment is designed to introduce you to a systematic process for predicting and evaluating the significant environmental consequences of a proposed action or undertaking. This process—environmental impact assessment—has been applied primarily to new infrastructure projects, such as power plants, highways, pipelines, dams, mines, airports, incinerators, and landfills. Assessment processes have also been used to consider the implications of new technologies, plans, and policies that may result in significant social and biophysical effects. This course focuses on environmental assessment processes—what they are meant to accomplish and how they are designed or should be designed to be effective, efficient, and fair.

Unit 1: History and Key Features of Environmental Assessment

Clark, R. (1994, June 16). NEPA: The rational approach to change. Washington, DC: Author.
Elder, P. S. (1992). Environmental and sustainability assessment. Journal of Environmental Law and Practice, 2(2): 125–148.

Unit 2: Setting a Standard for Environmental Assessment in Canada—the Berger Inquiry on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline

Tom Berger, O.C., Q.C., on why local voices matter - YouTube
Berger, T. R. (1988). Letter to the Honourable Warren Allmand (April 15, 1977). In Northern frontier, northern homeland: The report of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (rev. ed.) (pp. vii–xxvii). Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre.
O’Malley, M. (1976). Lac la Martre, August 13, 1976. In The past and future land (pp. 267–271). Toronto: Peter Martin.
Gamble, D. J. (1978, March). The Berger Inquiry: An impact assessment process. Science, 199: 946–952.

Unit 3: Setting a Standard for Environmental Assessment in Canada—the Ecosystem Approach

Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront (Crombie Commission). (1992). Chapter 1: The ecosystem approach. In Regeneration: Toronto’s waterfront and the sustainable city, Final report of the Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront (pp. 19–61). Ontario Legislative Assembly Sessional Paper 352/041. Ottawa: The Commission.
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. (1997). Environmental impact statement (EIS) guidelines for the review of the Voisey’s Bay Mine and Mill Undertaking, June 20, 1997. Gatineau: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, pp. 1–20.

Unit 4: Legislated Environmental Assessment at the Federal Level in Canada

Gibson, R. (2012). In full retreat: The Canadian government’s new environmental assessment law undoes decades of progress. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(3): 179–188.
Doelle, M. (2012). CEAA 2012: The end of federal EA as we know it? Journal of Environmental Law and Practice, 24(1), 1–17.

Unit 5: Legislated Environmental Assessment at the Provincial Level in Canada

Northey, R., & Swaigen, J. (1993). Chapter 9: Environmental assessment. In D. Estrin & J. Swaigen (Eds.), Environment on trial: A guide to Ontario environmental law and policy (3rd ed.) (pp. 194–234). Toronto: Emond Montgomery.
Canadian Environmental Law Guide. (1996). Alberta environmental impact assessment. North Vancouver: Specialty Technical Publishers (STP).
Brennan, N. J. (1997). Private rights and public concerns: The “public interest” in Alberta’s environmental management regime. Journal of Environmental Law and Practice, 7(2): 243–278.

Unit 6: Indigenous Issues and Environmental Assessment in Canada

Kirchhoff, D., Gardner, H. L., & Tsuji, L. J. (2013). The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 and associated policy: Implications for Aboriginal peoples. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 4(3).
Kirchhoff, D. & Tsuji, L. J. (2014). Reading between the lines of the “responsible resource development” rhetoric: The use of omnibus bills to “streamline” Canadian environmental legislation. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 32(2): 108–120.

Read the case study beginning on page 113.

Unit 7: The Role of the Public in Environmental Assessment

Tester, F. J. (1992). Reflections on Tin Wis: Environmentalism and the evolution of citizen participation in Canada. Alternatives, 19 (1): 34, 36–41.
Maynes, C. (1989). Introduction. In Public consultation: A citizen’s handbook (pp. 1–2). Guelph: Ontario Environment Network. Reproduced with permission of the Ontario Environment Network, www.oen.ca.
Maynes, C. (1989). Chapter 2: Elements of good process. In Public consultation: A citizen’s handbook (pp. 9–19). Guelph: Ontario Environment Network. Reproduced with permission of the Ontario Environment Network, www.oen.ca.

Unit 8: Biophysical Impact Assessment and Cumulative Environmental Effects

Beanlands, G., & Duinker, P. (1983). Summary. In An ecological framework for environmental impact assessment in Canada (pp. 1–10). Halifax: Institute for Resource and Environmental Studies.
Beanlands, G., & Duinker, P. (1983). Requirements for organizing and conducting ecological assessments. In An ecological framework for environmental impact assessment in Canada (pp. 91–95). Halifax: Institute for Resource and Environmental Studies.
Rees, W. E. (1995, July). Cumulative environmental assessment and global change. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 15(4): 295–309.

Unit 9: Social Impact Assessment

Interorganizational Committee on Guidelines and Principles. (1994, May). Guidelines and principles for social impact assessment. U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service.

Unit 10: Case Study—Environmental Assessment of the Red Hill Creek Parkway

Friends of Red Hill Valley. (1998, September 14). Submission to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada) Re: Red Hill Creek Expressway—north–south section: Scoping of project and scoping of assessment. Hamilton, ON: Author.
Peace, W. G. (1998). Farm, forest and freeway: Red Hill Creek Valley, 1950–1998. In Peace, W. G. (Ed.), From mountain to lake: The Red Hill Creek Valley (pp. 213–246). Hamilton: W. L. Griffin.

Unit 11: The Prospects for Advancement of Environmental Assessment

Ortolano, L., & Shepherd, A. (1995, Spring). Environmental impact assessment: Challenges and opportunities. Impact Assessment, 13(1): 3–27.
White, Lynn, Jr. (1974, February). Technology assessment from the standpoint of a medieval historian. The American Historical Review, 79(1): 1–13.
Orton, David. (1997). Environmental hearings and existential dilemmas: The Sable Gas Project. Green Web Bulletin 62.