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Some developers may find EIA compliance easier

Bangkok Post May 26, 2009 Changes are being proposed that would allow developers to comply with environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations without doing EIA reports. Developers would have to follow the same practices as similar projects with approved EIAs nearby, according to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), which is drafting the new rules. Nisakorn Kositratna, the secretary-general of ONEP, said compliance would involve having the same building structure and usage, similar unit totals and height as EIA-approved developments. ''It will be an option that can help save developers' costs and time in preparing an EIA report and waiting for approval,'' she said. ''Developers have to sign an agreement with us and must comply with everything ... under previously approved EIA reports.'' Mrs Nisakorn said that Section 46 of existing EIA regulations already indicates that a waiver could be granted for any project in the same location, with the same zoning, project size and usage purpose as other approved projects. The Office eased the rules for the Baan Ua-arthorn low-cost housing projects of the National Housing Authority, as they had standard unit sizes and were located on Bangkok's outskirts, she said. An ONEP team is creating guidelines by selecting best examples of approved EIA reports for every kind of project in as many city zones as possible. It expects to complete a first draft, starting with hotels and condominiums, in two months before holding a public hearing and seeking approval from the minister of National Resources and Environment. At the same time, the Office is working to improve standards by encouraging good EIA consultants. It will not extend the licences of consultants whose reports are false, contain mistakes or are carelessly prepared in the hope that the EIA screening committee will correct the errors. Consultants with good records will be eligible to have their licences renewed for five years, compared with the standard three years. About 50 firms are now approved to provide services for about 1,000 residential projects a year. More are needed to handle the workload. In the longer term, Mrs Nisakorn wants to encourage the designation of EIA consultants as professionals, along the lines of engineers and architects. ''We will also support any educational institutions ... to develop advanced courses for EIA professionals to get refreshment,'' said Mrs Nisakorn, who returned to the ONEP in January after serving previously as its secretary-general from 2004-06.

 

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