The environmental impact assessment (EIA) system requires an evaluation in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in advance for development activities that may have negative environmental impacts. The EIA system regulates monitoring and tracking mechanisms for EIS evaluation documents and implementation after evaluation. In compliance with Article 18 of the Environmental Impact Assessement Act, "The industry competent authority shall track development activities during the process and after completion, and the authorized institution shall monitor the execution of the EIA statement, evaluation document, and the evaluation reviews." The evaluation and monitoring operations of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) shall be carried out by the chief inspectorate and the inspection of individual cases is conducted as follows:

A. Inspection targets

To ensure that all development projects that have been evaluated by the EIA of the EPA strictly follow their promises including the approved contents and items of environmental impact statement, evaluation documents, and evaluation reviews.

B. Procedure of inspection operation

(1) Data collection:

Relevant evaluation documents of EIA of individual cases and relevant information, phenomena, and facts such as petition, appeal, or media release are collected.

(2) On-site inspection:

The points of on-site inspection include the execution of inspection reviews, strategies that mitigate environmental impacts and the execution of environmental management plans, the implementation of environmental monitoring plans and the execution of other promises related to environmental impact assessment.

(3) Inspection record compiling:

Inspectors shall compile inspection and evaluation results and opinions as on-site inspection records.

(4) Handling after inspection:

The EPA will notify EIA inspection opinions to development agencies via official documents.

C. Penalties and Improvement

If an EIA inspection finds violation of the EIA Act, the EPA shall impose fines or other penalties according to conditions; development agencies that are fined shall make the improvement within the requested time.

In addition to inspection of individual cases, the EPA also has invited expert groups to monitor and inspect the local ecological environment, environment quality, and social and cultural impacts of the regulated major development projects during development and operation and propose suggestions for improvement.

Furthermore, the EPA regularly conducts EIA seminars each year to make development agencies aware of the EIA system, rules and regulations, and the importance of compliance, and to ensure the execution of each EIA promise, as well as to fully implement the EIA and to protect the environment.

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