This research develops a plausible interpretation of NEPA's intent based on a thorough review and synthesis of NEPA documents and the literature. From this synthesis, NEPA goals and criteria are developed to evaluate a sample of Forest Service Forest Plans and their corresponding EISs. Next, ecosystem management is defined based on a review and synthesis of the literature. Ecosystem management evaluation goals and criteria are similarly developed to evaluate the Forest Plans and EISs. Based on NEPA and ecosystem management criteria, evaluation questions are formulated for assessing the Forest Plans in order: (1) to evaluate the extent the Forest Service has implemented ecosystem management; (2) to ascertain whether and to what degree Forest Service implementation of ecosystem management has moved its EIS process closer to NEPA's intent; and (3) to assess the extent ecosystem management implementation has influenced agency planning and decisionmaking processes. Throughout, the literature is used extensively to support conclusions reached on the basis of the case findings. Forest Service EISs and Forest Plans used for the case analyses are: 1) The 1986 George Washington National Forest Final EIS and Forest Plan (pre-ecosystem management) and the 1993 George Washington National Forest Final EIS and Revised Forest Plan (post-ecosystem management). 2) The 1985 Francis Marion National Forest Final EIS and Forest Plan (pre-ecosystem management) and the 1996 Francis Marion National Forest Final EIS and Revised Forest Plan (post-ecosystem management). Trends based on the post-ecosystem management evaluations that evidence the agency's implementation of ecosystem management principles include: maintenance of biodiversity of all species; adoption of measures to sustain ecosystem health; acknowledgment of ecosystem patterns and processes; increased integration of scientific research and technology; incorporation of adaptive management; and increased integration of ecological, economic and social considerations. There were several practices, however, in the post-ecosystem management cases that did not support ecosystem management principles: limited incorporation of different geologic or long-term time scales; continued delineation of boundaries along political lines; no integrative, interdisciplinary approach to planning; and no or minimal educational programs. Post-ecosystem management Forest Service practices that support NEPA's intent include: earlier identification of critical impacts; better management of critical impacts; increased integration of ecological information and a broader understanding of sustainability; increased provisions for monitoring and evaluation; better reflection of reviewing agency and public comments and concerns; more influence of environmental data on project decisions; increased consideration of unquantifiable issues; and better integration of ecological, economic and social considerations through a decisionmaking framework. There were several practices, however, in the post-ecosystem management cases that did not support NEPA's intent: EISs had a lower estimation of the magnitude or significance of impacts than the earlier EISs; no evidence supporting a broad, integrative, interdisciplinary approach to planning process; and no evidence of two-way, consensus building stakeholder involvement in the EIS process. Overall, the case analyses provide evidence that the Forest Service's EIS process had, in fact, moved closer to NEPA's intent. This improved output is primarily the result of the agency's incorporation of many of the principles of ecosystem management into its decisionmaking process. Although, NEPA did not figure into the integration of an ecosystem management approach into the Forest Service's decisionmaking process, this research showed that the goals of NEPA and ecosystem management are essentially the same. The agency came to advocate ecosystem management as the outcome of a voluntary decision and an incremental process to improve its overall planning and management process. Implementation of ecosystem management led to a more substantive response to NEPA's intent. Forest Service decisionmaking is a political process that involves balancing competing agency, private industry, and public interests. "Change agents" come from diverse sources-from within the agency's institutional structure (both top-down and bottom-up); from within the federal governmental framework (e.g., other agency policies, Congressional decisions, budgetary constraints); from outside the federal government (state and local governmental agencies, public and private interest groups); and from an uncertain and dynamic political and economic environment. Therefore, forest planning and its associated NEPA analyses must be considered a part of a never-ending and evolving process. Consequently, the Forest Service would do well to take an adaptive approach in its decisionmaking process-an approach compatible with ecosystem management. / Ph. D.

Jamaica is faced with a number of serious environmental problems. Perhaps the most promising approach to address these problems is to subject development proposals to a process of environmental review while they are in the central government's planning approval process. Jamaica has never had such an environmental review process. In this thesis an attempt was made to develop the framework for an environmental review process that can be integrated into the Jamaican planning approval process. Guided by case studies of the environmental review processes in three U.S. states and Puerto Rico, as well as an analysis of Jamaica's unique conditions as they affect the implementation of an environmental review process, an attempt was made to synthesize a framework for an environmental review process that can be both implementable and effective in Jamaica. In addition, an attempt was made to suggest some general strategies for achieving the implementation of the environmental review process. A simple yet potentially effective EIA framework was developed. However, the necessary preconditions for effective implementation, i.e., political support, do not exist in Jamaica. Unless the environment becomes a major issue in Jamaica's political economy, it is unrealistic to expect the implementation of an effective process. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Sustainability and specifically environmental stewardship are emerging as prominent issues in engineering decision-making. Despite this, the United States has neither a national policy on sustainability, nor a national sustainable transportation strategy. In many cases this has resulted in state DOTs basing their environmental practices on requirements set out previously by EPA regulations with little or no additional consideration of environmental effects. A survey conducted as part of this thesis revealed that environmental stewardship is not considered part of current DOT pavement management engineers' job responsibilities, despite having duties such as pavement design and maintenance which can greatly affect the environmental impact of a project. Initial cost and engineering judgment were the most widely considered in decision-making, with LCCA also being considered at least some of the time by most respondents. Environmental impacts, on the other hand, are not often integrated into formal decision making and are more likely to be considered as a "tie breaker" when alternatives have similar costs. The literature review also covered two distinct types of environmental decision support tools: Environmental Rating Tools and Environmental Impact Calculators. Rating Tools gather predominantly environmental impact information in order to award a score to a project. Environmental Calculators are software tools that use material or equipment inputs to estimate the amount of pollutants produced by a project. While a variety of environmental impact tools are currently available they suffer from drawbacks such as incomplete or unclearly defined LCA boundaries, consideration of only one environmental impact, subjectivity, lack of transparency, out-of-date databases, and an inability to perform probabilistic calculations. CO₂e was the only environmental factor considered by nearly all Environmental Calculators reviewed as part of this thesis and was a major focus of the Rating Tools. The thesis proposes the framework for a tool that addresses some of the limitations of available tools and aids decision-makers in incorporating environmental factors into roadway decision-making. The proposed tool would address many of the limitations of previous environmental impact calculators and could be implemented without the need for extensive additional research. The tool would calculate emissions due to material extraction and production, emissions due to construction activities, resource consumptions, and emissions due to work zone delays. Emissions due to work zone delays are not considered by any other currently available tool. The tool would also perform probabilistic calculations and have a database which could be added to and updated by users. Additional products developed as part of this thesis are a review of currently available environmental impact tools and a Microsoft Excel workbook used to demonstrate the intended usage of the tool. It is concluded that the development of such a tool is necessary and feasible. The proposed tool would address limitations of available tools by considering more than one environmental impact, including the previously neglected impact of emissions due to work zone related delay, pairing a user-friendly interface with an editable database, and supporting probabilistic calculations. Recommended future research includes surveying state DOT engineers to determine the barriers delaying implementation of currently available environmental impacts tools. Further benefits could be realized by programming the proposed tool and building a database that reflects the materials, mixes, and construction activities available to a specific locality. / Master of Science

In this article I have analyzed the world legislation that regulates the environmental impact assessment but also the attributions of the public authorities related to this topic. By researching the results obtained during the implementation of the legislation in this field, we can deduce that the existence of the legal framework does not fully guarantee the successful execution of a procedure, and in this case the implementation of environmental impact assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that identifies, assesses and mitigates the environmental impacts of a proposed project. This article examines the challenges faced in carrying out EIAs, the similarities and differences between EIAs in different countries, and the evolution of EIA effectiveness over time. Although, the legislation of the Republic of Moldova regulates this process, in practice very few projects, whether public or private, are subject to environmental impact assessment. At the end of the article I have proposed some solutions to improve the performance of this large procedure.

Yes / This paper addresses the regulation of energy resource projects on indigenous lands in the Canadian Arctic and the role of environmental impact assessment in these projects, specifically those involving hydraulic fracturing. Taking an environmental point of view, this paper argues that in the absence of specific territorial legislation applying to shale gas development in Nunavut and the onshore portion of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in Northwest Territories the federal regulator, the National Energy Board, has a key role in promoting transparency, public participation, safety and sustainable use of natural resources. As part of its environmental protection responsibilities, the Board, inter alia, ensures that an environmental impact assessment is conducted before any proposed hydraulic fracturing activities commence on indigenous lands, which in some cases include an extensive public consultation. In 2013 the Board adopted rigorous guidelines for all onshore oil and gas projects involving hydraulic fracturing which address many of the concerns raised over shale gas development, including surface and groundwater contamination; impact on air quality; induced seismicity and reluctance of industry to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Although these guidelines are non-binding on the Board, their adoption means that it will be challenging for the operators to obtain an authorisation from the Board should they fail to conduct an environmental impact assessment. This paper argues that these guidelines exceed the best practices widely adopted by the Canadian shale gas industry. It concludes that because the guidelines address a number of concerns raised by the public they could potentially be used as the minimum standards for hydraulic fracturing operations in other regions outside Arctic Canada.

Yes / Construction and demolition waste (CDW) has been recently identified as a potential aluminosilicate source for geopolymers. However, the available research has mainly focused on developing CDW-based geopolymer pastes and mortars, while studies on geopolymer concretes sourced from CDW have been very limited. Thus, the current study aimed at experimentally identifying different CDW materials suitable for producing geopolymer concretes. Additionally, the study analysed the mechanical, microstructural, and environmental properties of CDW- based geopolymer concrete produced. In this regard, the effect of relevant parameters on the compressive strength development of CDW-based geopolymer concretes was comprehensively investigated, including those related to precursor types/fineness, alkali activator solution, aggregate type/size and curing regimes. Microstructural analyses were also conducted on the selected samples (100% brick waste, 100% tile waste, 100% concrete waste and 75% brick waste + 25% GGBS). Finally, the environmental impact of geopolymer concrete was assessed and compared with similar traditional concrete. Results showed that employing CDWs alone is not suitable to achieve sufficient strengths under all curing regimes. However, the inclusion of 25% GGBS significantly improved the strength performance of CDW-based geopolymer concrete, in comparison to other supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as Class-C fly ash and calcium hydroxide. The particle size of CDWs and concentration of alkaline activators highly affect the performance of CDW-based geopolymer concretes. Utilization of CDWs with particles finer than 75 μm and high concentrations of NaOH (12 M) is recommended to achieve good performance. The results also indicate that almost similar energy is needed for producing CDW-based geopolymer and OPC-based traditional concrete, whereas a huge reduction in CO2 emission (∼40%) was estimated in the case of geopolymers. The outcomes of the current study are expected to contribute to the advancement of geopolymer concrete derived from CDW in addition to providing valuable insights into this type of concrete for practitioners and academics.

No description available.

Chemical (gaseous) emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are perceived as odour and can generate undesirable health reactions. These could affect the quality of life to those regularly albeit intermittently exposed, although regular exposure may result in tolerance and loss of recognition of the odour. Consequently, research is necessary to establish the role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in ensuring that facilities such as WWTP do not pose a threat to local communities, particularly in relation to housing developments for poor communities. The aim of this study was to investigate if the EIA regulations were effectively implemented before building of the Residential Development Proiect (RDP) houses at KwaMathukuza, in Newcastle South Africa. Furthermore, the study intended to determine the impact the (WWTP) has on the health of people who reside close to the site and to establish if the families staying close to the WWTP have any common ailments such as handicapped babies, early deaths within families. Findings would also indicate if RDP houses should be built in close proximity to such sites. Data was collected through a survey of 85 residents living within five kilometers and ten residing beyond five kilometers from the WWTP. The participants were selected randomly. Municipality employees who worked with the WWTP were also sampled together with healthcare givers. Data included information about health of the community, their perception of the gases released from the WWTP as well as EIA meetings and processes related to the construction of the RDP houses. The outcome of this study revealed that EIA regulations were not adequately implemented and that this residential site was unsuitable for the construction of RDP houses. It emerged that the residence regularly experience unpleasant odours released from the WWTP. These could be associated with ill-health of the residents as well as v degradation the environment in general. The study also found that the effect of the WWTP affects even those communities who reside beyond five kilometers from the WWTP. The researcher argues for more stringent mechanisms to ensure that EIA regulations are properly implemented to prevent adverse effects on the communities. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

A Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente PNMA, com seus fins e mecanismos de formulação e aplicação, foi instituída pela Lei nº 6.938, de 31 de agosto de 1981, e tem como um de seus instrumentos a Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental (AIA), que analisa as consequências ambientais de uma ação atual ou proposta, visando garantir a viabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos previamente à sua implantação. A AIA é o instrumento da PNMA que subsidia a gestão ambiental empresarial, uma vez que essa deve ser iniciada na fase de projeto e continuar de forma integrada durante as atividades de implantação, operação e desativação dos empreendimentos. Nessa vertente, uma integração de procedimentos entre a AIA, direcionada ao empreendimento, e as normas da Série ISO 14000 - Gestão Ambiental -é necessária. Entretanto, verifica-se que há um paradoxo entre a teoria e a prática dessas ferramentas de gestão. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa é realizar um comparativo entre as características técnicas da AIA e as características técnicas das normas da Série ISO 14000, sugerindo potenciais oportunidades de integração entre os dois instrumentos. Para tanto, foram realizadas duas revisões bibliográficas: uma relacionada à AIA e outra às normas técnicas da Série ISO 14000, que identificou as possibilidades de integração entre essas duas ferramentas de gestão ambiental. Esta pesquisa é classificada metodologicamente: do ponto de vista de sua natureza, como pesquisa básica; do ponto de vista da forma de abordagem do problema, como pesquisa qualitativa; do ponto de vista de seus objetivos, como pesquisa exploratória e descritiva; do ponto de vista de procedimentos técnicos, como pesquisa bibliográfica. Os resultados da comparação entre os instrumentos apresentam informações que poderão subsidiar a integração das características técnicas da AIA com as das normas técnicas da Série ISO 14000. / The National Environment Policy, with its purposes and mechanisms of formulation and implementation, was instituted by Law nº. 6938 of August 31, 1981. The Policy has as one of its instruments the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which examines the environmental consequences of a current or proposed action in order to ensure the environmental feasibility of projects previously to their deployment. The EIA is the instrument of Policy which subsidizes environmental management business, since that should be initiated at the design stage and continue seamlessly during the deployment activities, operation and deactivation of the enterprises. In this instance, integration between the EIA procedures, directed the project, and the standards of ISO 14000 Series - Environmental Management is necessary. However, it appears that there is a paradox between theory and practice of these management tools. Thus, the objective of this research is to make a comparison between the technical characteristics of the EIA and the technical characteristics of ISO 14000 Series, suggesting potential opportunities for integration between the two instruments. To this end, were performed two literature reviews: one related to EIA and other related to the technical standards of the ISO 14000 series, which identified the possibilities for integration between the two environmental management tools. The research is methodologically classified: from the point of view of nature as basic research, from the point of view of how to approach the problem as a qualitative, from the point of view of objectives as exploratory and descriptive, from the point of view of technical procedures will be classified as literature review. The results of the comparison between the instruments provide information that could subsidize the integration of the technical characteristics of EIA with the technical characteristics of ISO 14000 series.