Environmental Impact Study of Projects Affecting the Quality of Marine Ecosystems

According to the EEC Directive 85/337, an Environmental Impact Assessment (E.I.A.) procedure must be implemented to evaluate the effect of major projects on the environment. Several environmental activities are required by the E.I.A. procedure during various phases of the life cycle of the project, including construction, start up, operation and decommissioning. The Environmental Impact Study (E.I.S.) is a basic component of the E.I.A. procedure delivered by the engineering Company to the competent Authority for approval. Besides providing information needed for E.I.A., the E.I.S. also represents a tool for supporting decision as it defines project criteria, identifies mitigation measures and monitoring design. Owing to the complexity of the interactions among biotic and abiotic components, the application of E.I.S. to the marine environment generally implies an interdisciplinary and integrated approach. Two typologies of E.I.S. recently developed are discussed and compared, concerning the construction of three submarine tunnels crossing the Strait of Messina and building of a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminal for the liquid methane re-gasification at a coastal site of the Gulf of Trieste (Panzano Bay), North Adriatic Sea