Cumulative impacts of fracking

Buffalo County: Public hearing on frac sand regulation changes draws dozens for and against. David Brommerich, Winona Dailey News, April 11, 2013.

A public hearing on proposed changes to Buffalo County, Minnesota's frac sand mining ordinance drew about 75 sand mining supporters and opponents of the industry. Opponents of fracking raised concerns about the cumulative impacts of truck traffic and mines located near each other on safety, health and the environment.

Scope: Communities/Environmental Justice

Focus: Principles, Best practices, Decision tools, Current law

Cumulative impacts of mining

Peatland mining in Manitoba’s Interlake: Cumulative Impacts analysis with focus on potential nutrient loading and greenhouse gas emissions. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Kyle Swystun, Xi Chen, Matthew McCandless, and Henry David Venema, 2013.

Recent developments have placed the spotlight on peat mining in the Province of Manitoba. The Department of Conservation and Water Stewardship commissioned the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to assess the cumulative effects of peatland development to inform government actions on sustainable peatland management.

Scope: Communities/Environmental Justice

Focus: Principles, Best practices, Decision tools, Current law

Cumulative Air Quality Impact

Bill would lead to cumulative air quality impact assessment. El Grit, February 21, 2013.

Requiring environmental assessments of state-funded or permitted projects is the intent of a bill that is on schedule to be heard by the House Energy and Natural Resources committee. House Bill 458 would create a “Consolidated Environmental Review Act,”  and if successful, would lead to assessments of the cumulative impact of industrial air emissions on neighborhoods. That’s something that Esther Abeyta says would help her community, the San Jose neighborhood of Albuquerque.

Scope: Human Health, Communities/Environmental Justice

Focus: Proposed law, Principles, Best practices, Planning & strategies, Decision tools, Current law

IFC releases draft cumulative impacts assessment guidance

International Finance Draft Cumulative Impact Assessment Guidance Out for Comments. Prizma, January 2013.

The preamble of the draft Note developed for the Private Sector in Emerging Markets highlights both the importance and challenge of Cumulative Impact Assessments:

“Cumulative impacts are contextual and encompass a broad spectrum of impacts at different spatial and temporal scales. In some cases, cumulative impacts will occur because a series of projects of the same type are being developed, for example when a series of hydroelectric projects are constructed or planned on the same river or within the same watershed, when multiple oil and gas projects or mines are being developed in close proximity or when a series of wind farms are constructed or planned within the same flyway or region. In other cases cumulative impacts will occur from combined effects over a given resource of a mix of different types of projects, for example the development of a mine site, access roads, transmission lines, and adjacent land uses.”

Scope: Human Health, Ecosystems/Climate Change

Focus: Tool & resources, Principles, Best practices, Planning & strategies, Decision tools

Cumulative impacts on agriculture

OEHHA’s Cumulative Impacts Efforts Likely to Affect Agricultural Communities. Ashley Porter, Downey Brand, LLP,  January 2013.

Recent interest in environmental justice issues has resulted in a push by the California Environmental Protection Agency (“Cal/EPA”) to address the cumulative impacts of multiple sources of pollution in specific communities in California. On October 16, 2012, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (“OEHHA”) closed the public comment period on its Draft California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool (“CalEnviroScreen”). The screening tool uses existing environmental, health, and socioeconomic data to create cumulative impacts scores for communities across California. Cal/EPA will ultimately use the screening tool in environmental decision-making and the current scoring methodology applied in the draft tool could have a negative impact on agricultural areas throughout the state.

Scope: Human Health, Ecosystems/Climate Change

Focus: Proposed law, Principles, Best practices, Planning & strategies, Decision tools