Source: https://home.elaw.org/ecuador
Timestamp: 2020-08-08 23:58:39
Document Index: 663218174

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 22', 'Art. 15', 'Art. 24', 'Art. 23', 'Art. 25', 'Art. 25', 'Art. 17', 'Art. 17', 'Art. 17', 'Art. 11', 'Art. 20', 'Art. 20', 'Art. 18', 'Art. 29', 'Art. 29', 'Art. 16', 'Art. 16', 'Art. 20', 'Art. 8', 'Art. 10', 'Art. 20', 'Art. 8', 'Art. 20', 'Art. 25', 'Art. 26', 'Art. 43', 'Art. 41', 'Art. 19']

Environmental Management Act, R.O. 418 of 10 September 2004
Decree No. No. 3516 establishing the Unified Text of Secondary Legislation of the Ministry of the Environment, 14 August 2012
If the project is not included in the list of projects that require an environmental impact assessment, the project proponent will present an environmental factsheet that will be analyzed by the competent authority. If approved, the project proponent is authorized to carry out the project without the need to present an environmental impact assessment report but subject to compliance with environmental regulations. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 22.
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 15.
The project proponent is responsible for preparing an EIA that complies with legal requirements. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 24.
The Ministerial Agreement No. 178 establishes the minimum qualifications and registration requirements for EIA contractors. See Ministerial Agreement No. 178, 14 October 2010, http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/10/c0d7a98aab3adaac9adf79919c4eac2a4ee3e237.pdf. The Ministry of Environment keeps a list of authorized environmental consultants available at http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/02/Publicaci%C3%B3n-COMPA%C3%91IAS-CONSULTORAS-Enero-2015.pdf
Terms of Reference are prepared by the project proponent and submitted to the competent authority for approval. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 23.
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 25(c).
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 25(a).
According to the Ministerial Ministerial Agreement No. 100, project proponents are required to provide an environmental bond to cover environmental damages in order to obtain an environmental permit. See Ministerial Agreement No. 100 from the Ministry of Environment, 14 June, 2010, http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/10/2178eee9c43cea2cdbb205581125417ac7e81d6b.pdf
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 17.
The EIA must include an analysis of alternatives for the proposed activity or project. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 17(d)
Although a range of alternatives must be included, the EIA Decree does not specify that the EIA must include a no action alternative.
The project proponent must submit an Environmental Management Plan containing measures to mitigate, control and compensate identified impacts, as part of the environmental impact assessment report. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 17(f).
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Arts. 17, 19.
The EIA process in Ecuador does not include a draft EIA step.
The dissemination of the environmental impact assessment report will be carried out through one or several mass communication mechanisms in the direct and indirect area of influence of the project: radio, press, television, and other information and communication mechanisms. Ministerial Agreement No. 066, Art. 11 (available at http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/07/Acuerdo-066-Facilitadores.pdf).
The law establishes Public Information Centers where the environmental impact assessment reports, as well as the Environmental Management Plan of the project and didactic and visual documentation will be made available to the public in a easily accessible location. The Centers shall have personnel who are familiar with the project and who may be able to explain it to the community. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 20 (b)(3). EIA reports may also be published in websites, newspapers, local government. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 20 (b)(5); Decree No. 1040, Art. 18 (available at http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/04/1.-DECRETO-1040-04-2008.pdf).
The national environmental authority shall keep a national registry of environmental records and licenses issued by the environmental enforcement authorities. The registry shall be public and any person may, at their cost, access the information contained in any of the technical studies that served as the basis for the issuance of an environmental license. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 29.
The national environmental authority shall keep a national and public registry of environmental records and licenses issued by the environmental enforcement authorities. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 29.
The project proponent must consult with the public prior to preparing the terms of reference. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 16.
Although a terms of reference is prepared and must include observations from community members, it does not appear that the public is permitted to review the terms of reference before it is approved. See Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 16.
A public hearing may be held to present the EIA report and the Environmental Management Plan to the community to gather their inputs. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 20 (b) (4). See also Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 8 (a). The law does not explicitly state that public hearings are automatically required but Art. 10 of Decree No. 1040 establishes that social participation mechanisms (including public hearings) are compulsory for the responsible environmental authority, in coordination with the project proponent, prior to the approval of the environmental impact assessment report. (Decree 1040 available at http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/04/1.-DECRETO-1040-04-2008.pdf).
A public hearing may be held to present the EIA report and the Environmental Management Plan to the community to gather their inputs. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 20 (b) (4). See also Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 8 (a).
The mechanisms to collect community observations on the EIA report include: minutes of informative sessions and public hearings (notarized if deemed necessary), traditional mail (letter, fax, etc.), email, and forms to be deposited in mailboxes in participatory workshops, informative sessions and public hearings. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 20 (c).
The EIA report assessment is comprised by the review of the report from both the public and the competent environmental authority. Such review will prepare the technical grounds to make a final decision. Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 25.
Decree No. 1040, Art. 26 (available at http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/04/1.-DECRETO-1040-04-2008.pdf).
Upon existence of violations to the environmental protection rules, any natural person, legal entity or human group may request the hierarchical superior to impose administrative sanctions and/or to require the regularization of authorizations, permits, studies and evaluations. See EMA, Articles 44-46.
Natural persons, legal entities or human groups, linked by a common interest and directly affected by a harmful action or omission, may bring a loss and damages action related to environmental and health degradation before the competent judge. See EM Act, Art. 43. In order to protect individual or collective environmental rights, citizens may also pursue a protection (constitutional) action against environmental law violations. See EM Act, Art. 41.
Decree No. 3516, Libro VI, Cap. III, Art. 19.