Centre Proposes Higher State Appraisal Limit for Non-Coal Mining Projects

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has proposed revising the environmental appraisal threshold for non-coal mining projects, increasing the limit for state-level appraisal from 250 hectares (ha) to 500 ha in a move aimed at strengthening decentralised environmental governance and expediting the clearance process.

The proposal, issued through a draft notification on July 27, seeks to align the appraisal framework for non-coal mining projects with that of coal mining projects, which are already assessed by State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) and State Expert Appraisal Committees (SEACs) for projects of up to 500 hectares.

Under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, projects are classified according to their size and environmental impact. Category A projects are appraised by the Centre's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), while Category B projects are examined by SEIAAs with technical recommendations from SEACs before environmental clearances are granted.

The ministry said the proposal reflects the growing capacity of state institutions, noting that the eligibility criteria for experts serving on the Centre's EACs and state-level SEACs are identical. It also highlighted that SEIAAs have acquired nearly two decades of experience in evaluating environmental clearance applications, making them well-equipped to handle larger non-coal mining projects.

The draft notification also referred to the recently constituted Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA) and Standing Committee on Environment Impact Appraisal (SCEIA), notified on July 13, to ensure continuity in environmental clearances whenever state appraisal bodies become non-functional due to expired tenures, delays in reconstitution, or court-imposed stays.

However, the proposed governance framework has drawn concern from environmental experts. They argue that the new standing bodies do not require their chairpersons and members to possess the same level of domain expertise mandated for the EAC, SEIAAs and SEACs under the EIA Notification, 2006. Critics warn that this could dilute the quality of project scrutiny even as the government seeks to streamline and decentralise the environmental clearance process.