This course summarizes the state of professional practice regarding cumulative effects assessment and management (CEAM) within EIA processes; demonstrates fundamental requirements for cumulative effects assessment for a proposed industrial project in Canada; illustrates environmental sustainability considerations for the significance of cumulative effects; discusses adaptive management and monitoring as follow-up activities for large-scale proposals; and summarizes policy choices and collaboration approaches for the development of local and regional cumulative effects mitigation and management initiatives.

The basic premise is that CEAM should be an integral part of, and not separate from, both in-country and international EIA processes. The fundamental requirements are focused on stepwise procedures with international best practice principles. These procedures and related principles identify key valued ecosystem components (VECs or VCs), focusing on those for which CEAM is appropriate; delineating spatial and temporal boundaries for each of the VECs; describing historical baseline and future conditions and trends; establishing cause-effect linkages between past, present, and future actions and VECs; determining the significance of cumulative effects via the use of environmental sustainability principles; and development of adaptive management and project mitigation and regional management programs, as appropriate.

Practical processes for both preparing and reviewing CEAM-related documents will be emphasized, along with presentations on selected case studies and workshop sessions involving interactive groups. Practical discussions will be incorporated by the professional participants and presented to the entire class.

Level:	Intermediate to advanced
Prerequisites:	Foundation training on EIA or CEAM (professional-level short course or University-level specific course or program); and/or minimum of 2 years in professional experience in planning and conducting EIA or CEAM for environmental impact studies. (Note: These prerequisites do not apply to student participants.)
Language:	English
Duration:	2 days (2-3 April)
Price:	US$475
Min/Max:	10-50
Instructor(s):	Larry Canter, Professor Emeritus, University of Oklahoma; Environmental Impact Training (USA) Bill Ross, Retired Professor of Environmental Science, University of Calgary (Canada)
Special Note:	Participants will be encouraged to describe case studies from their experience.

 

Dr. Larry Canter is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Oklahoma and is now engaged in teaching EIA and CEAM short courses and consulting on the preparation and review of impact studies. He has written seven books on EIA or CEAM, 12 book chapters, over 95 refereed journal articles, over 75 conference papers, and over 150 research reports, including CEAM-focused studies. He has written or participated in the writing or reviewing of over 30 EAs (Environmental Assessments) and EISs on projects such as power plants, gas pipelines and compressor stations, flood control dams, water supply reservoirs, waterway navigation systems, and land-based military training. He has also reviewed EISs and associated studies related to radioactive waste management, water supply lakes, and iron ore mining. Since 1970, he has taught short courses on EIA or CEAM for several U.S. federal agencies and other institutions in over 20 countries. During the 1990s at the University of Oklahoma, he was the Sun Company Chair of Ground Water Hydrology, George Lynn Cross Research Professor, and Director, Environmental and Ground Water Institute. He received his Ph.D. in environmental health engineering from the University of Texas, M.S. in sanitary engineering from the University of Illinois, and B.E. in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Canter received the Rose-Hulman Award from IAIA in 2009 for his sustained and significant contributions to cumulative impacts and EIA methodology. In 2015 Dr. Canter received the President’s Service Award (USA National Association of Environmental Professionals) for recognition of his outstanding leadership and dedication to the Council on Environmental Quality pilot project for best practice principles for environmental assessments. Since 2001, Dr. Canter has consulted on over 15 international and national CEAM studies. For example, from 2001 to early 2006, he worked on the navigation system investment plan for the mainstem of the Ohio River. A comprehensive CEAM study was conducted for the 981-mile river length that has 19 associated locks and dams. Innovative methods within the study included usage of “reasonably foreseeable future action” (RFFA) matrices, integrated analyses of the environmental sustainability (AES) of the VECs, and the development of alternatives for freshwater mussels and riparian habitat.  Further, he has made over 30 conference presentations on CEAM, with the majority being at IAIA meetings. He also served as the Co-Chair of IAIA’s Special Topic Meeting on Assessing and Managing Cumulative Effects (2008; Calgary) and co-organized a theme forum on “Regional and Ecosystem-Based Approaches in Cumulative Effects Assessment and Management – A Next Generation Approach” at IAIA13 (2013; Calgary).

Dr. Bill Ross is a Retired Professor of Environmental Science in the School of Environmental Design, University of Calgary. He has a BSc degree from the University of Manitoba and a PhD degree in physics from Stanford University. His main academic interests are in EIA, CEAM, and energy policy and conservation. He has been a member of several Canadian Environmental Assessment panels, and he has been a member and chair of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency for BHP Diamond Mine, Northwest Territories. Dr. Ross is also the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, including several related to CEAM. He was a co-author of the highly respected “Cumulative Effects Assessment Practitioners Guide” (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 1999). In addition, he was the Founding President of the Western and Northern Canada Affiliate of IAIA. Dr. Ross also received IAIA’s Rose-Hulman Award at the 2009 annual conference.