Environmental Impact Assessment - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 99

Several techniques for reducing the size of EIA documents exist, but companies are
somewhat restricted by local regulations and practice. EIA formats prescribed in many
jurisdictions lead to unnecessary repetition, throughout the document(s). Attempts on the
part of the EIA preparer to streamline the text may be rejected by the regulator as incom-
patible with the format. As such rejection can lead to costly delays, EIA preparers tend to
err on the side of slavish adherence to prescribed formats.
When preparing an EIA, the scoping process provides the i rst and generally one of the
best opportunities to keep the document from excessive growth later. A proper analysis of
the scope of the project allows limits to be set for what has to be analyzed later. It is particu-
larly important at this stage to understand the nature of the decision that is to be supported
by the contents of the environmental document. Documents not directly used in an EIA

The scoping process provides
the fi rst and generally one
of the best opportunities to
keep the document from
excessive growth later.

FIGURE 2.8
List of Supporting Specialized Studies

E

MINE LIFE
CYCLE

A ir shed s tudy