Environmental impact assessment and sustainable development: Case studies of environmental conflict

Abstract

The political dynamics of environmental impact assessment (EIA) are explored through an analysis of the controversy surrounding two pulp and paper megaprojects slated for the western Canadian boreal forest. One is the Japanese‐owned Alberta‐Pacific mill sited on the Athabasca River in Alberta. The other is the proposed expansion of the Repap mill located in The Pas in Manitoba. This study takes the position that although EIA has moved from the margin to the center of political debate, it internalizes rather than overcomes the conflict between economic development and environmental preservation. Governments, in the contradictory position of development promoters and environmental regulators, have approached EIA as a means of political legitimation and the settlement of social claims. This has given rise to questions about the role of economic power, scientific expertise, and public participation in the EIA process. These factors were significant in influencing the outcome of the EIA processes associated with the two megaprojects.

Keywords:

• Keywords aboriginal communities
• economic development
• environmental impact assessment
• environmental review process
• political conflict
• pulp mills