Environmental Regulations and Standards

Russia does not currently have a well-developed system of environmental regulations and standards, most notably it lacks a procedural framework. Therefore Russian environmental specialists, despite their deep professional knowledge, are not fully experienced with implementing international regulations for environmental assessments and environmental management.

Without developing new methods adapted to national and regional characteristics, specifically addressing regional environmental issues on the one hand and a detailed approach incorporating international environmental procedures on the other, the sustainable development of the Russian economy appears difficult, if not impossible.

Thereby, ICF International participates in the relevant method development and the reinforcement of national environmental legislation, as well as organizing and conducting environmental training for Russian specialists.

Regulatory Consulting under the Investments Substantiation Project Development of Krasnoyarsk International Transportation Center (2008)

ICF/EKO analyzed the deliverables for the project Development of Krasnoyarsk International Transportation Center and their compliance with Russian environmental legislation. Special attention was paid to the environmental impact assessment procedures, the development of the preliminary project documentation, and the actual project documentation. We conducted this effort with regard to the requirements for approval of such documentation by Russian government authorities. ICF/EKO’s experts also evaluated the comments from Glavgosekspertiza. Subsequent to that evaluation, we developed a list of recommendations for eliminating the deficiencies and bringing the project documentation into compliance with Russian environmental legislation.

Incorporating Environmental Audits in the Privatization of Russian Industrial Facilities

ICF received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop an approach to incorporate environmental considerations into the process of privatizing industrial facilities in Russia. Based on a review of the existing Russian and international regulations and guidelines regarding environmental audits and privatization, ICF made recommendations on a regulatory framework to identify and resolve environmental concerns early, and to minimize the uncertainty and potential liability associated with property transactions.

Workshop on Changes in Russian Federation Regulations and Legislation for Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecological Review Procedures

ICF was contracted by the Moscow office of British Petroleum (BP) to prepare and conduct a workshop on the new legislative requirements for the EIA process to be applied to industrial projects.

Workshop on New Russian Federation Guidelines for Public Consultation

ICF was contracted by the Moscow office of BP to prepare and conduct a workshop on the latest regulatory and legislative changes addressing public consultations in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process to be applied to new industrial projects.

Guidelines for Incorporating Environmental Considerations into Investment Project Design and Implementation

For ОАО GidroOGK, ICF developed Terms of Reference (TOR) for an investment project and guidelines for incorporating environmental considerations into the standard regulations governing project design and implementation within the hydropower industry. ICF collected and analyzed existing federal and industrial project cycle regulatory standards and developed the TOR, taking into account the latest trends in Russian legislation.

Regulatory Framework for Water Reservoir Design and Construction

For ОАО GidroOGK, ICF collected and analyzed existing federal and industrial standards pertaining to the following areas: environmental protection in the design and construction of water reservoirs and downstream pools associated with hydropower installations; land allocation; population resettlement; relocation or engineering protection of facilities, buildings, and other construction within the inundation zone; rearrangement of transportation and power transmission networks; sanitation of the inundation zone; and mitigating environmental measures. Based on the study results, ICF developed recommendations for how to incorporate environmental considerations into both federal and GidroOGK’s regulatory documents pertaining to the design and construction of hydraulic structures.

Conceptual Guidance for Controlling Regional Environmental Reviews

For Rosprirodnadzor (the Russian State Environmental Inspection Commission), ICF developed the conceptual guidance for federal oversight controls of regional governmental bodies authorized to perform state environmental reviews.

Environmental and Legal Evaluation for Exploitation of the Baltic Sea , Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

In 2007 for OAO Podzemgazprom, ICF prepared a review of the major environmental problems in the Kaliningrad Oblast region of the Baltic Sea. ICF analyzed international and Russian legislation related to the exploitation of the Baltic Sea with the main emphasis on: Russia’s environmental obligations applying to the Baltic Sea basin; the environmental and legal constraints of economic activity (particularly, the construction and operation of a water intake and brine outlet); and public discussion and approval procedures. Based on the findings, ICF made an environmental and legal evaluation of Baltic offshore use in the construction of underground gas storage facilities within the rock salt strata.