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The Public is Still in the Dark on Environmental Impact Assessments
Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business today published a Survey Update which examines how many Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Initial Environmental Examinations (IEE) have been disclosed.
It also reviews recent developments in the legal framework for EIA and investment permitting in Myanmar.
The Survey Update finds that, of the 20 oil and gas offshore blocks awarded since 2013, 14 (70%) of them have now disclosed their IEE/EIA. This is up from 58% in March. For onshore blocks, the figure is 47% (7 out of 15), up from 26% in March.
However the overall level of disclosure in the oil and gas sector remains much higher than in other sectors. Without reliable information from government about which projects are being undertaken in Myanmar, it was not possible to systematically survey these sectors. However MCRB has found very few disclosed EIA and IEE online for other sectors such as mining, hydropower, power facilities, manufacturing and tourism. This is despite the fact that several hundreds of IEE/EIA are believed to have been undertaken and submitted to the government.
MCRB’s first survey of oil and gas EIA disclosure was published in April 2016.
Read also
- Building Environmental Legal Advocacy Skills for Civil Society Leaders
- Investors Need to Identify their Impacts on Myanmar’s Biodiversity and Ecosystems Early On, to Avoid Cost and Conflict Later
- Building Understanding of EIA and Responsible Business for Civil Society Groups in Southern and Eastern Shan State
- Working with Community Groups in Shan State on Responsible Business and EIA
- Join MCRB and Thant Myanmar in the Battle to Beat Plastic Pollution
