ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE (ECC)

The Environmental Compliance Certificate or ECC refers to the document

issued by the DENR-EMB that allows a proposed project to proceed to the
next stage of project planning, which is the acquisition of approvals from
other government agencies and LGUs, after which the project can start
implementation. The ECC is typically mistaken to mean Environmental Clearance
Certificate because it provides authorization for a project to proceed. However, the
correct term, Compliance, refers to the project being compliant with the given
requirements.
This certificate ensures that a company complies with all requirements within
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and that they commit to their approved
environmental management plan.
Environmental Clearance seeks to curb industries and projects that
supposedly hamper the environment and living species in one way or another. It
serves as a legal consent for industries that are unfriendly to environment. It has
been made mandatory under Environment Protection Act, 1986.
LIST OF PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES REQUIRING PRIOR ENVIRONMENTAL
CLEARANCE
 Mining of Minerals.
 Offshore and Onshore oil and gas exploration, development & production.
 River Valley Projects.
 Thermal Power Plants.
 Nuclear Power Projects and Processing of Nuclear Fuel.

To secure an ECC the project proponent must comply with the requirements
of the Philippine Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) System and show that the
proposed project will not cause a significant negative impact on the environment
through its EIA. The ECC also certifies that the proponent is committed to implement
an approved Environment Management Plan.

THE PROCEDURE FOR SECURING AN ECC IS AS FOLLOWS:

 The proponent scopes the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) they must
conduct by consulting with the stakeholders of a project, those who will be
affected by it, including the public in the vicinity of the project and DENR
experts who will determine the technical aspects of the EIA to be conducted.
 The proponent conducts the EIA study based on the initial scoping, which
examines the impacts a project will have on the environment as well as the
current state of the environment at the project site.
 An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is prepared, which the report is
based on the findings of the EIA study. This also includes plans to mitigate the
impacts of the project.
  For large or critical projects, the EIS is reviewed by the DENR-EMB and
changes or additional information may be requested to improve it. This step is
repeated until the EIS meets the DENR-EMBs standards. It can take long if
the quality of the EIS prepared is not high, or if the thoroughness of the EIA is
insufficient.
 The final EIS is submitted to the DENR-EMB for approval. If the project is
eligible, it will be awarded an ECC
The complexity and thoroughness of the EIA required is based on the capacity of
the project. The relevant capacity of a project varies per project type. For example,
power plants are classified by their generation capacity, livestock projects by their
holding capacity of animal units, and roads are classified by their length.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that involves predicting
and evaluating the likely impacts of a project on the environment (land, water, air,
flora, fauna and people) at various stages (construction, commissioning, operation
and abandonment) of the project development. It also involves the development of
appropriate preventive, mitigating and enhancement measures that will protect the
environment from the identified impacts. These measures are formulated into
environmental management and monitoring plans.

In the Philippines, the EIA process is implemented by the Department of

Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Environmental Management
Bureau(EMB). This process is officially known as the Philippine Environmental
Impact Statement System (PEISS) which was established under PD1586 on 11 June
1978. This introduced the concept of Environmentally Critical Projects (ECP) and
projects within Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA). Under the EIA process or
Philippine EIS System, a supplementary document, the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is prepared for every proposed ECP or project found within an ECA.
The EIS contains the probable impacts of the project which have been discerned
from conducting the EIA. Through a reiterative review process, the predicted impacts
and mitigating measures are assessed and if determined sufficient, DENR EMB
issues an Environmental Compliance Commitment (ECC) document that is
conformed by the project proponent and this then represents the project’s
Environmental Compliance Certificate. The release of the ECC allows the project to
proceed with implementation, including the acquisition of other approvals from
government agencies and local government units.

The three general EIA Report categories are the EIS, the EPRMP, and the
IEE, which all have separate preparation and application procedures. The
aforementioned Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a full-blown study that
establishes detailed baseline characteristics of the land, air, water, biota and people
in the host site and vicinities of a proposed project. An Environmental Performance
Report and Management Plan (EPRMP) – is normally required if projects are
existing and intend to expand, with the report focusing on its environmental
performance over the past 3 to 5 years of operation. The impacts of the expansion
on the existing environmental management plan are assessed and the necessary
mitigating measures incorporated. The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is an
abbreviated EIS in that only general descriptions of the environment are required.
Documents required for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
 Details of Applicant.
 Details of project Proposed.
 Details of Alternative Site.
 Details of nature of land.
 Details of objectives of project.
 Details of climate and air quality.
 Details of water balance at site.
 Details of solid Waste.

If a project’s capacity rather low, or the project will not have significant impact on the
environment regardless of size, a project may be eligible to secure a Certificate of
Non-Coverage (CNC). If the project is small, but still requires an ECC, an expedited
version of an EIA called an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) checklist may be
required instead. Otherwise, all projects must secure an ECC. (To check if you are
required to secure an ECC or a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC), you can visit our
EEC or CCNC Screening Page.)

Typically, proponents will contract the support of a DENR-EMB Registered Preparer

to help them conduct their EIA study. Preparers are varied experts in the fields
relevant to conducting an EIA. The four modules of an EIA (Land, Air, Water,
People) will require qualified geologists, biologists, hydrologists, sociologists, etc. to
examine their impacts. Technical specialists will also be employed to collect the data
in the field, and project managers will oversee and unify these efforts.

Apercu Consultants, Inc. is an award-winning, DENR EMB registered provider of full-

service environmental consulting. We have provided support for various clients in
securing their ECCs over 17 years of operation.

From screening your project, to conducting environmental impact assessment, to

preparing the required documents, and liaising with the DENR-EMB, we handle the
entire application process so that you can stay focused on your core business.