Indian Government Issues Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2020 for Steel Sector

–This notification may be called the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2020 (hereinafter referred to as ‘EIA Notification, 2020’) and shall come into force on the date of publication of final notification in the Official Gazette.

–The government of India has issued notification for amendments the Environment Clearance (EC) or Prior Environment Permission (EP) for the steel industries including others who are affecting nature with their critical work activities. It has been notified that the current activities/industries are must to have EC or EP, this is also applicable on new projects or activities including expansion or modernization of projects or activities.

–That activities have been categorized under the category of ‘A’ ‘B1’ and ‘B2’ based on the potential social and environmental impacts and spatial extent of these impacts. These are required to be placed before Appraisal Committee as specified in the Schedule, shall require Prior Environment Clearance from the concerned Regulatory Authority before the start of any construction work or installation or establishment or excavation or modernization, whichever is earlier, on site or before expanding the production and/or project area beyond the limit specified in the prior-EC or prior-EP, as the case may be, granted earlier.

What do these categories signify ?

– All projects under Category ‘A’ in the Schedule including expansion and modernization of existing projects shall require prior-EC from the Ministry.

— All projects under Category ‘B1’ in the Schedule, including expansion and modernization of existing projects, but excluding those which fulfill the General Conditions defined under sub-clause (30) of clause 3 of this notification, shall require prior-EC from the SEIAA or UTEIAA, as the case may be.

— All projects under Category ‘B1’ in the Schedule including expansion and modernization of existing projects, and those which fulfill the General Conditions defined under sub-clause (30) of clause 3 of this notification, shall require prior-EC from the Ministry without any change in the category of the project.

— All projects under Category ‘B2’ that are required to be placed before Appraisal Committee as specified in the Schedule, shall require prior-EC from the SEIAA or UTEIAA, as the case may be.

— All other projects under Category ‘B2’ (other than those projects specified under subclause (5) above), shall require prior-EP from the SEIAA or UTEIAA, as the case may be. These projects shall not be placed before Appraisal Committee.

Classification of steel making units

–For instance sponge iron plant projects >0.5 MnT pa are classified under ‘A’ category and those with <= 0.5 MnT pa are classified under ‘B1’ category

— Similarly the integrated steel plants with >1 MnT of crude steel pa and those with <= 1 MnT pa crude steel are classified under ‘A’ and ‘B1’ category respectively

–Similarly the ferro alloy plants with >1.5 lakh tonnes pa and those with <= 1.5 lakh tonnes pa are classified under ‘A’ and ‘B1’ category respectively

— All projects of Pellet plants or agglomeration plants are classified under B1 category

–It is, however, clarified that ‘construction work’ for the purpose of this notification shall not include securing the land by fencing or compound wall; temporary shed for security guard(s); leveling of the land without any tree felling; geo-technical investigations if any required for the project.

Categorization of projects and activities: –

— All projects concerning national defence and security or involving other strategic considerations, as determined by the Central Government, shall require prior-EC or prior-EP, as the case may be, from the Ministry without any change in the category of the project. Further, no information relating to such projects shall be placed in the public domain.

List of projects requiring prior Environment clearance or prior ENVIROMENT Permission