ENVIRONMETAL LEGISLATIONS

THE ENVIRONMENT Protection Act of 1986 (EPA)

 Some Notifications issued under this Act are-

The Environmental Impact Assessment of Development Projects Notification, (1994, amended in 1997):

                                As per the notification all projects listed under schedule I require environmental clearance from the MoEF. Projects under the de-licensed category of the new industrial policy also require clearance from the MoEF. All development projects whether or not under the schedule I, if located in fragile regions must obtain MoEF clearance.

                                Industrial Projects with investment above Rs. 500 million must obtain MoEF clearance & are further required to obtain a LOI (Letter of Intent) from the ministry of Industry & an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the SPCB & the state forest department if the location involves forestland. Once the NOC is obtained, the LOI is converted into an industrial license by the state authority.

                               The notification also stipulated procedural requirements for the establishment & operation of new power plants. As per this notification, two-stage clearance for the site-specific projects such as pithead thermal power plants and valley projects is required. Site clearance is given in the first stage & the final environmental clearance in the second. A public hearing has been made mandatory for projects covered by this notification. This is an important step in providing transparency & a greater role to local communities.

      

ENVIRONMETAL LEGISLATIONS

THE ENVIRONMENT Protection Act of 1986 (EPA)

 Some Notifications issued under this Act are-

DISPOSAL OF FLY ASH NOTIFICATION (1999):

 Its main objective is to conserve the top soil, protect the environment & prevent the dumping & disposal of fly ash discharged from lignite-based power plants. The salient feature of this notification is that no person within a radius of 50 KM from a Coal or lignite power plant shall manufacture clay bricks or titles without mixing at least 25% of ash with soil on a weight-to-weight basis. For the thermal power plants the utilization of the fly ash would be as follows:

• Every Coal or lignite based power plant shall make available ash for at least ten years from the date of publication of the above notification without any payment or any other consideration, for the purpose of manufacturing ash based products such as Concrete blocks, bricks, panels or any other material or for construction of roads, embankments, dams, dykes or for any other construction activity.
•  Every Coal or lignite based thermal power plant commissioned subject to environmental clearance conditions stipulating the submission of an action plan for full utilization of fly ash shall, within a period of nine years from the publication of this notification, phase out the dumping & disposal of fly ash on landing accordance with the plan.