In 2002, Lebanon adopted the Environment Protection Law No. 444 which established the framework for environmental regulation in the country. This law makes reference to environmental assessments and paved the way to adopt the EIA Decree No. 8633 (2012), the SEA Decree No. 8213 (2012), and associated ministerial circulars and decisions. The central authority responsible for EIA and SEA is the Ministry of Environment (MoE).
Technical sectretary
The ESIA procedure in Lebanon starts with screening of a project by the MoE, concluding that the project either requires an ESIA, an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) or no studies at all. After reviewing an Initial Environmental Examination, the MoE can still demand for a full ESIA if significant impacts are expected.
When a project requires an ESIA, the proponent first collects stakeholder inputs and submits a scoping report to the MoE. A technical committee within the MoE reviews the scoping report, upon which more information can be demanded, or conditional or unconditional approval is given to start the study. The proponent then conducts the study and submits the ESIA report, including an Environmental Management Plan (EMP), to the MoE. As with the scoping, also the ESIA report is reviewed by a technical committee. The technical committee can ask the proponent for more information and recommends the Minister on a final decision for approval, conditional approval or disapproval. Based on this recommendation, the Minister takes a decision and informs the proponent thereof.
When the ESIA is approved, the proponent is legally bound, by signing a pledge, to adhere to the mitigation measures specified in the environmental management plan (EMP) of the ESIA. Follow up and monitoring are done by the MoE, the project owner (through periodical reports), and other relevant authorities through site visits and periodic monitoring reports.
Screening process
The screening process starts with the proponent submitting a Project Screening Form to the MoE. The Service of Environmental Technology within the MoE determines if the project requires a full ESIA. Projects listed in Annex I of the Decree 8633/2012 require an EIA, while projects listed in Annex II of Decree 8633/2012 require an Initial Environment Examination. In addition, projects located in environmentally sensitive areas listed in Annex III, or which may have a significant impact on these areas, shall be subject to EIA as well.
A technical committee established within the MoE reviews an IEE. Based on this review, the proponent may be required to conduct an ESIA study, in case significant impacts on the environment are expected or impacts on sensitive areas and ecosystems. Otherwise, the project is given conditional or unconditional approval. The proponent is informed about the screening decision through an official letter from the Minister.
Republic of Lebanon (2016) Environmental Impact Assessment System Evaluation, Ministry of Environment (MoE) and UNDP, November 2016
Contents of the starting document
The contents of the Project Screening Form are outlined in Annex 4 of the EIA Decree. The required information includes a.o the personal details of the project owner, the type of project, its objectives and costs, timelines for design, construction and operation and maps showing the project’s location. The MoE reserves the right to ask for further documents if needed for the screening process.
Timeline Screening
After receiving the Project Screening Form, the MoE must issue a decision within 15 calendar days. If it fails to do so, the project owner can proceed with the environmental studies.
Scoping process
IEEs require no scoping. In cases where an ESIA is required, the proponent must undertake scoping and submit a scoping report.
The scoping starts by the proponent informing stakeholders listed in Annex 5 of the EIA Decree about the upcoming ESIA. The concerned municipality is responsible to announce that the public can submit written comments, while the proponent organizes public hearing sessions. The comments collected from stakeholders and the public must be taken into account during the assessment phase and must be presented in the ESIA report.
When the scoping report is submitted to the MoE, the Service of Environmental Technology forms a committee of 3-4 persons with different expertise from inside the ministry. The creation of this committee is formalized by a ministerial decision. This committee reviews and formulates a recommendation to the Minister of either approval, conditional approval, the need for an addendum or the restart of the scoping process. The Minister takes a final decision and communicates this to the proponent. The scoping report is available at the MoE for examination.
Contents of the scoping document
The information expected in the scoping is specified in Annex 7 of the EIA Decree. The required information includes a.o:
Timeline scoping
When the scoping is being prepared, the concerned municipality must publish during 15 days that there is a possibility for the public to submit written comments, within one month from the date of publishing.
Once the scoping report is registered, the technical committee must submit its recommendation to the Minister within 10 days and the MoE must issue a decision within 15 days. If it fails to do so, the project owner can proceed with preparing the ESIA, in line with the EIA decree.
Assessment process
When doing an ESIA study, the proponent must take into account the scoping report, Annex 8 of the EIA decree (outlining required contents of an ESIA report) and stakeholder comments. For the conduct of the ESIA, the proponent must use the services of consultancies registered at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR).
Contents of the ESIA report
Annex 8 of the EIA decree determines the contents of the ESIA report summarized here below:
1. Executive summary
2. Table of contents
3. Introduction: Objective and need for the project
4. Policy, legal and administrative frameworks
5. Public participation
6. Description of the project
7. Description of the surrounding environment
7.1 Physical and chemical environment
7.2 Biological environment
7.3 Socio-economic environment
8. Potential environmental impacts
8.1 Physical and chemical environments
8.2 Biological environment
8.3 Social and economic environment
9. Primary analysis of alternatives
10. Environmental management plan
10.1 Impacts program
10.2 Monitoring and control program
10.3 Institutional capacity development program
11. Conclusion
12. Annexes (minutes public hearings and related reports, references, names of report writers)
Summary of project documents:
13. Tables and information statements
14. List of relevant reports
15. List of scientific and non -scientific references used
16. List of the names of who prepared the ESIA report (individuals and institutions)
Accreditation of consultants
The ministerial decision 588/1 of 2015 determines that SEA, scoping, ESIA and IEE reports should be prepared by a consultancy qualified and registered at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) as environmental consultancies. These national consultancies can conduct environmental studies in collaboration with an international consultancy.
Review process
The Service of the Environmental Technology starts with an initial review of the ESIA report by assessing its conformity with the EIA decree 8633/2012. If positive, the technical committee established during the scoping phase also assesses and scores the ESIA report based on the methodology described in Annex 9 of Decision 261/1/2015. If needed, this committee can demand assistance from external experts.
When reviewing the ESIA, special attention is paid to whether the stakeholder comments have been taken into consideration. Based on the review, the ESIA is approved, conditionally approved or the proponent is asked for an addendum, which implies a restart of the ESIA process. After the review, the technical committee informs the Minister about its recommendation. The Minister then informs the proponent about the final decision through an official letter. The public has the right to access the ESIA report and the MoE’s position, except for intellectual or industrial property rights mentioned in the study.
Timeline Review
The period to review an ESIA report is 2 calendar months and starts on the day the report is registered at the MoE. Once the Minister decides on the ESIA or IEE, the decision is published within 5 days, respectively 2 days. The Minister’s decision is published by the municipality on its bulletin board within 15 days of its receipt.
Integration of ESIA into decision-making
Based on the environmental studies, the MoE gives a non-binding advice. It is up to the relevant line ministries to decide how they take into account MoE’s recommendations.
Possibilities for appeal
Ministerial decision 262/1 of 12/6/2015 builds on decree 8633/2012 and outlines appeal conditions and review mechanisms. Appeals must be made within 15 days of MoE decision about the ESIA/IEE report in question. Appeals to the MoE can be made for reasons such as:
After studying the appeal, the department of Integrated Environmental Systems in the service of Environmental Technology at MoE, issues a decision within 10 days of receiving the appeal to:
Compliance monitoring
Compliance to the environmental management plan specified with the ESIA is monitored through site inspections by the MoE and through periodic reports submitted to the MoE, as agreed with the proponent. Site inspections are done according to a schedule and additionally when the MoE receives a complaint about a specific project.
Non-compliance penalties
The Environmental Protection (Law 444/ 2002, Article 58) states that proponents shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment in case a project starts without conducting the required ESIA or IEE, or when a project is not in line with the approved ESIA/IEE. In case of non-compliance, the proponent will be given a time frame to comply with the requirements or agreed conditions. If non-compliance persists, the MoE asks the relevant ministries to close down the project or to revoke the permit given to the project. The MoE also has the right to sue the project owner at environmental law courts and to enforce the polluter pays principal as stipulated in law 444.
Public participation requirements for ESIA process stages
In the scoping phase, the proponent is obliged to inform stakeholders, organize public hearings and collect written comments from the public. The public hearing dates are announced by the concerned municipality. The MoE can also demand that a public participation session is organised before the ESIA report is submitted. During this public hearing, the proponent needs to introduce the project and present the potential impacts and mitigation measures. MoE and all other relevant public entities should be informed about and be present at this public hearing. In the ESIA report, the proponent is expected to include all comments from the public and its responses.
Timeline for public comments
The public has the option to submit written comments in the scoping phase about the project within one month of the advertisement.
Access to information
Access to information, including on environmental reports, is governed by law 28/2017. This enables the public to get access to environmental assessment reports after sending a request to MoE. However this right will not include any information related to national security, intellectual property or the financial details of the project.
