Towards Improved Public Information on Industrial Emissions in Italy: Concepts and Specific Issues Associated to the Italian Experience in IPPC Permit Licensing

Authors: Mazziotti Gomez de Teran C., Fiore D., Cola B., Fardelli A.

Abstract:

The present paper summarizes the analysis of the request for consultation of information and data on industrial emissions made publicly available on the web site of the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea on integrated pollution prevention and control from large industrial installations, the so called “AIA Portal”. As a matter of fact, a huge amount of information on national industrial plants is already available on internet, although it is usually proposed as textual documentation or images. Thus, it is not possible to access all the relevant information through interoperability systems and also to retrieval relevant information for decision making purposes as well as rising of awareness on environmental issue. Moreover, since in Italy the number of institutional and private subjects involved in the management of the public information on industrial emissions is substantial, the access to the information is provided on internet web sites according to different criteria; thus, at present it is not structurally homogeneous and comparable. To overcome the mentioned difficulties in the case of the Coordinating Committee for the implementation of the Agreement for the industrial area in Taranto and Statte, operating before the IPPC permit granting procedures of the relevant installation located in the area, a big effort was devoted to elaborate and to validate data and information on characterization of soil, ground water aquifer and coastal sea at disposal of different subjects to derive a global perspective for decision making purposes. Thus, the present paper also focuses on main outcomes matured during such experience.

Keywords: Public information, emissions into atmosphere, IPPC permits, territorial information systems.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1099348

References:

[1] Directive 2010/75/UE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control).
[2] UN/ECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, adopted on 25th June 1998.
[3] Decreto Legislativo 3rd April 2006, n. 152 “Norme in materia ambientale” G.U. n. 88 (14th April2006), as amended by successive acts.
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[7] Directive 2014/52/EU of 16th April 2014 amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (EIA).
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