Towards cost-effectiveness in the regulatory/approval process

In this article, the author questions whether the EIA process is necessarily the most cost-effective way of assessing the environmental effects of a project. He outlines those factors in the assessment process which tend to inflate costs, and suggests ways in which EIA could be improved so as to reduce costs, whilst at the same time improving efficiency, enhancing the relevance of the EIS to the proposal, and safeguarding public rights of participation.