The inefficiency of environmental impact assessment: Reality or myth?

Abstract

This professional practice report discusses the results of a study into the timeliness/efficiency of the Western Australian environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. Whilst few quantitative data exist on this issue, criticism of the EIA process for being too long and costly is a constant theme. We considered 88 completed EIAs. Times for the six key phases of the EIA process were reported, with the longest phase being the production of the environmental impact statement. Data were not available to examine the time taken for each of the three discrete steps that make up this phase, although some questions were posed as the basis for follow-up work. A key question that emerged from looking at the times of this phase and the next two longest phases is how important is scoping in determining any unforeseen delays in EIAs? The importance of EIA effectiveness was noted but not included in this study.