Procedure OOS - determination scope assessment impact and the OOS report (5)

Determining that an EIA is required for a project determines the scope and scale of  the assessment (scoping). It requires the identification of the issues to be examined. The  scope of the assessment activities for a given project should be defined according to the  letter of the law, but this does not mean that cannot be adjusted during the preparation of the report. The basic principle is to  concentrate the work on the issues relevant to the various phases of the project. It is  necessary in each case to consider the various aspects of the construction phase, the  operation phase and the shutdown or decommissioning activities. Potential natural hazards  (e.g. earthquake, flood) and anthropogenic hazards (aircraft crash, plant explosion) must  also be addressed in each case. In the case of projects related to the extraction of natural  resources, reference should be made to the question of possible directions for reclamation  and the subsequent possibilities of using the post-mining areas. Determining the scale and scope of the EIA should concern the variant of the project preferred by the investor and a minimum of one variant reasonably fulfilling the investor's  objective and the so-called "zero variant" consisting in the execution of the investment. It is  crucial for the effectiveness of the EIA procedure to identify/define at an early stage of the  EIA process the likely significant impacts to be analysed and assessed.

In order to fulfil this condition, the proposal for the scope of the report, environmental  studies, collection of information, performance of analyses, etc., should be subject to  consultations with the representatives of the interested parties (administration, institutions,  investor and local community). The parties involved in the consultation must be provided  with information on the planned project and the options analysed.

Various ways of conducting public consultations are possible:

• open meetings for interested parties
• closed" meetings, e.g. with interested institutions
• collection of written comments from interested parties
• the formulation of a consultative group made up of representatives of groups and stakeholders.

The results of the consultation should be analysed and the outcome of this analysis - carried out with the input of the team authoring the EIA report - made public.

The OOS report should focus on the findings, conclusions, recommended actions and recommendations on the effects of the developer's proposed sequence of actions, prior to the decision to proceed with the development. The OOS Report is an objective analysis, using scientific methods to assess the scale, significance and validity of the potential  environmental, social and health effects of the proposed development.

The required minimum scope of the OOS report should include the following chapters:

1. Summary written in non-specialised language
2. Political, legal, administrative environment
3. Description of the planned project, including the investments required for its
4. implementation and operation
5. Description of reasonable options for the planned project
6. Description of the environment
7. Description of significant environmental impacts
8. Comparison of the options analysed and identification of the preferred option
9. Identification of ways to mitigate adverse impacts
10. Comparison of proposed technologies with BAT requirements
11. Analysis of possible social conflicts
12. Monitoring plan
13. Indication of knowledge gaps or difficulties in obtaining data
14. Sources of information
15. List of authors of the OOS report
16. Annexes