India releases a draft notification on environmental impact assessment 
On March 12, 2020, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) announced a draft notification “Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2020”. This draft will replace the “Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006” and is open for comments for 60 days from the date of announcement. The Schedule of the draft shows a list of projects, including expansions, which are required to obtain prior environment clearance or prior environment permission. Under the proposal, each project would be classified into Category A, B1 or B2, depending on the scope of the projects.
Prior Environment Clearance (prior-EC)
Prior-EC means the clearance or consent of Regulatory Authority, on the recommendation of the Appraisal Committee for the Category A, B1 and B2 projects that are required to be placed before Appraisal Committee.
Prior Environment Permission (prior-EP)
Prior-EP means the permission or consent of Regulatory Authority for carrying out the proposed project listed in the Schedule in respect of Category ‘B2’ that are not required to be placed before Appraisal Committee.
Example: Manufacturing of paints, varnishes, pigments, intermediates
| Item | Project | Category with threshold limit | Conditions if any | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B1 | B2 | |||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) |
| 27 | Manufacturing of paints, varnishes, pigments, intermediates (excluding blending /mixing) | All projects located outside the notified industrial estates. | All projects located within the notified industrial estates. | Medium enterprises | ― |
This notification will come into force on the date of publication of final notification in the Official Gazette and be applicable to whole of India including territorial waters.
The draft “Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2020” can be downloaded from the following URL (in Hindi and English)
http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Draft_EIA2020.pdf
