This may be as a response to major disasters, or may result from government policy, public pressure or the general increased international awareness of the environmental dangers that now exist in the world. New legislation may include a statutory requirement for an EIA to be done in a prescribed manner for specific development activities. When carrying out an EIA it is thus essential to be fully aware of the statutory requirements and the legal responsibilities of the concerned institutions. These are best given as an annex to the terms of reference. The legal requirements of the country must be satisfied.
New laws can impose an enormous burden on the responsible agencies.
The statutory requirement to carry out an EIA for specific projects will, for example, require expert staff to carry out the study, as well as officials to review the EIA and approve the project. Laws designating what projects require EIA should, ideally, limit the statutory requirements to prevent EIA merely becoming a hurdle in the approval process. This will prevent large volumes of work being carried out for little purpose. Most legislation lists projects for which EIA is a discretionary requirement. This arrangement allows limited resources to be allocated most effectively.