The Federal Environmental Assessment Process - A Guide and Critique

The Evolution of Federal Environmental Assessment Procedures

Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) is among the most employed pieces of legislation in this country, a statute that applies to thousands of development projects per year. When choosing to grant or deny approval for proposed developments, environmental assessments can provide an invaluable and objective platform for the decision maker. Understanding how the government wields this potentially powerful tool and how the process works is vital for all environmental and natural resource lawyers, particularly with the Act scheduled for a major parliamentary review.

Professor Meinhard Doelle, the author of this unique publication, brings a vast range of environmental law experience to the project. Considering that, as a development planning tool, an environmental assessment is a critical information-gathering and decision-making instrument, Butterworths The Federal Environmental Assessment Process - A Guide and Critique needs to be part of your arsenal.

Features and Benefits

By analyzing what has become a mandatory process in Canada for a wide range of activities federally, in provinces and territories, and under Aboriginal self-government agreements, The Federal Environmental Assessment Process - A Guide and Critique provides the reader with:

• Expert commentary - comprehensive coverage of all relevant issues relating to the federal environmental assessment process under the CEAA
• Practical advice - a complete review of all the environmental assessment processes available under the Act
• Case law - detailed analysis of the extensive body of CEAA-related case law
• Research tools - an in-depth review of literature relating to the theory and practice of environmental assessments

Tackling the Key Issues

This book brings context to the evolving environmental assessment process in Canada by helping you understand:

• How international law has helped shape the federal environmental assessment process in Canada
• The dynamics of federal and provincial government powers and how they affect the federal environmental assessment process
• The options available for law reform with the CEAA scheduled for a major review in 2010
• How the focus and purpose of the environmental assessment process within Canada has morphed over time by providing the historical evolution of the procedure

An Indispensable Guide For

• Environmental lawyers who require a comprehensive analysis of environmental assessment legislation and case law
• Natural resource lawyers who need to understand the various environmental assessment processes available under the CEAA
• Large business corporations and in-house counsel who need to factor in the environmental assessment in development projects
• Academics, students and government officials who are grappling with how the environmental assessment process will be reformed when the CEAA undergoes parliamentary review
• Non-governmental organizations and community groups who are preparing to participate in a federal environmental assessment process

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