A Case of Utilizing Results

Complete revision of ‘Environment Impact Assessment
Technique for Road Project’~ corresponding to consideration document procedures, etc.
following assessment law amendment ~INOUE Ryuji Senior Researcher KADOYU Katsunori Head YAMAMOTO Yuichiro Researcher
Road Environment Division, Environment Department(keywords) Environment impact assessment, road project, planning stage consideration, monitoring surveys
during/after construction
1.

Background of revised technical methods(amendment of assessment law)
‘Environment Impact Assessment Technique forRoad Project’ (hereinafter called technical methods)
is a guide book to be referred to in selecting items(environmental items) and studying the methods forsurvey, prediction and assessment when roadbusiness operators conduct environment impact
assessment (assessment). Based on the revision of
the assessment law and its technical guide, ministerial
regulations (enforcement in April, 2013), thetechnical methods were completely revised
accordingly, the outline of each item showed in the
figure is presented herein.
Two procedures were newly obligated in theamended assessment law. First, environmental
consideration (SEA system in the report of CentralEnvironment Council (February 22, 2010) ) at earlier stage
than the previous assessment (EIA) was obligated asconsideration document procedures. In addition, report andannouncement of surveys during/after construction, etc. in
conducting the project after assessment was obligated asreport procedures.
To correspond to such obligations newly made and toreflect the latest scientific knowledge and related systemrevision, the technical methods were completely revisedusing the previous outcomes of related studies in cooperation
with Landscape and Ecology Division, and Geology andGeotechnical Research Group of Public Works ResearchInstitute. At the time of revision, deliberation of theinvestigative committee consisting of learned persons fromvarious environmental fields (Chairperson: Tetsuo YAI,Professor of Tokyo Institute of Technology) was made andopinions of Regional Development Bureau, etc. were asked.
The revised technical methods were compiled in Technical
Note of NILIM No.714 and Technical Note of Public Works
Research Institute No.4254.

Figure: Assessment law revision and technicalmethods revision
2. Main revised points(1) Newly established ‘Matters to be considered at planningstage’
It has been obligated that business operators conduct a‘Study on matters to be considered at planning stage.’ In caseof road projects, this is to compile environmental
consideration when studying outline routes and structures at aconceptual stage in a form like EIA such as‘understanding
characteristics of the project and the region’, ‘selection ofmatters to be considered at planning stage (environmentalitems)’ and ‘results of survey, prediction and assessment’.
A chapter on ‘Matters to be considered at planning stage’
was newly incorporated in the technical methods as acommon content organizing all environmental items. Using
analysis results in this Division regarding the process and theenvironment assessment methods of PI case at conceptual
stage of the road projects, etc., a simple procedure to assess
environmental impacts by the positional relation between theobject to be considered about environmental impacts(examination object) and outline routes・structures (multipleplans) based on existing papers was presented. With regard

A Case of Utilizing Resultsto air・noise, etc., city areas・schools・ hospitals, etc. are theexamination objects (assessment objects) and as to animals・plants, locations where important species are observed andreported and their required habitat・growing environment, etc.
are the examination objects (assessment objects). In addition,items such as avoidance and decrease conditions whichshould be studied in detail in EIA were to be organized.
Moreover, as for the natural environment in particular,
utilizing the result of the study on available existing
information and the possible consideration methods whenoutline routes and structure are studied, a concrete idea ofsurvey, prediction and assessment was set forth in thereference materials (Technical Note of NILIM No. 720)
separately.
Furthermore, additional comments to each item of existing
EIA were made to the effect that the gathered information as
described above will be utilized and the result of the study
will be reflected.
(2) Materialization of methods for surveys during/afterconsideration
In order to conduct more appropriately future surveys
during/after consideration which is subject to an official
announcement based on the revised assessment law, methods
for the surveys are added to ‘animals・plants ・ecologicalsystem’ which account for the majority of practical examples.
Utilizing the result etc. of analyzing cases of thesurveys(transplanting and relocation of animals,consideration toward raptores under construction, etc.),
clarification of maintenance targets, the level of details ofsurvey corresponding to the purpose and approximate survey
period, etc. were explained.
3. Official announcement and utilization of thetechnical methods
Completely revised technical methods were officiallyannounced in the following.
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/dcg/kadai/kadai1/gijutsu.htm

The methods described in the technical methods have so far
been employed in most items of every road assessment andutilization of revised technical methods will be expected inassessment including new procedures after the law revision.