Project splitting in environmental impact assessment

Abstract

This paper discusses project splitting in environmental impact assessment (EIA), investigatingthe current state of knowledge through literature, legislation, case-law and practice, discussingproblems and providing solutions. The focus is on Spain, but many of the conclusions areapplicable worldwide. Project splitting is a much more common practice than generallyaccepted. The main efforts have been focused on preventing salami-slicing as a mechanismto avoid the EIA, but it is a much more complex problem, with different ways of splitting andreasons for doing so. Measures to avoid this practice should include strengthening the strategicenvironmental assessment, a greater involvement of the approval authority, specific prohibitionsin regulations, using case-by-case examinations instead of thresholds, compulsory scoping andavoid the exclusion of project parts during the EIA.