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Partnership
with Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Users
The Environmental
Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) aims to avoid, minimise and control
adverse impacts on the environment from designated projects. To
achieve this, the EPD has worked to ensure users of the Ordinance
have a good understanding of the legislative requirements, through
seminars, online help and regular contacts. It has also worked steadily
to enhance public access to EIA information. Public input is an
important part of the EIA process, particularly when it comes to
pre-empting environmental impacts.
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EIAO
Users
The EPD
has an active programme to help stakeholders understand the
EIA process in Hong Kong. Since 1998, when the EIA Ordinance
came into effect, 15 seminars and 152 meetings have been arranged
for 7,800 participants, including representatives from government
departments and bureaux, private developers, contractors,
consultants, professional bodies, green groups and the Advisory
Council on the Environment (ACE).
The
EPD has also established four EIAO Users Liaison groups, focusing
on government departments and bureaux, consultants, private
and public developers, and contractors. Twelve meetings have
been convened with these groups. Additionally, a Joint EIAO
Users Liaison Congress involving 150 participants from the
liaison groups, green groups and the ACE, was convened in
May 2002, around the theme of "Partnership Building Towards
a Successful EIA Process".
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Briefing
seminars on EIAO for stakeholders |
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EPD has produced guidance notes on the Ordinance and in early
2002 it established a Cyber Help Bench to make it easier for
users to get assistance online, at http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/eia/hb/content/index.htm
. Also in 2002, a team will be established to support government
project proponents and members of the public in dealing with
the requirements of the Ordinance. The purpose of this is to
resolve environmental issues at an early stage. |
Cyber
Help Bench for EIA
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| Public
Involvement in the EIA Process |
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A dedicated
EIAO website (http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/eia/) gives the public
access to environmental applications and reports through the
EIAO Register, and people can submit comments on-line. The
public can also access environmental monitoring and audit
data from projects that have started construction. More than
190,000 hits have been recorded at the site since 1998, when
it was set up.
Apart
from enabling public access to environmental information,
the EPD also keeps EIA reports at relevant District Councils
to allow public access to the latest EIA studies.
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