Operational Policy Statement

September 25, 1998                                              OPS - EPO/1 - 1998

Establishing the Scope of the Environmental Assessment

1.      PURPOSE OF SCOPING

· Scoping establishes the boundaries of an environmental assessment (what elements of the project to consider and include and what environmental components are likely to be affected and how far removed those components are from the project) and focuses the assessment on relevant issues and concerns.

· Good scoping reduces the risk of including inappropriate components in an environmental assessment or excluding components which should be assessed.

2.    CONSIDERATIONS

The determination of the scope of the project and the environmental assessment must be made on a case-by-case basis. However, in making such a determination, all of the following issues should together be considered:

· the proponent's project description (what is the project and is it the principal project?) and justification for the project (what is the purpose of project and why is it proposed?) and other physical works that are inevitable or that are physically linked to or are inseparable from the proposed project or will occur as a result of federal support for the proposed project;

· the involvement of other federal departments in the proposed project (e.g. the existence of multiple Responsible Authorities) or the nature of RA involvement may affect the scope of the project and the assessment);

· the nature of Responsible Authority involvement (whether the Responsible Authority(ies) involvement is in relation to the principal project or is related to physical works or activities that are in support of or are accessory to the principal project);

· whether the proposed project is or has been the subject of an assessment of environmental effects by others (e.g. other environmental assessments, provincial environmental protection requirements, forest management plans, resource management plans, regional land use plans);.

· where other review processes have occurred or are occurring, the results may provide assistance in establishing the boundaries of the assessment, from both a project (what elements of the project to consider and include) and an assessment (what environmental components and how far removed from the project to consider and include) perspective;

· the availability and use of existing policy, technical and scientific information (e.g. the assessment should make use of the best available information and undertake analyses to address gaps in information as required, to define significant environmental effects);

· the expectations of stakeholders including proponent, public, other jurisdictions, interest groups and aboriginal groups;

· a focus on those potential environmental effects on valued ecosystem components that are likely to be adverse and significant, following the application of mitigation. Valued ecosystem components are identified through consultation with the stakeholders and government experts; and,

· mitigation measures that are directed to the proposed project (e.g. mitigation measures must be applied to the effects resulting from the project that is being assessed and not to other existing or planned projects).

For further information :

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