The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme: how did it manage without an EIA?

Abstract

The background to the establishment of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme is examined, with an eye to any environmental considerations taken into account, either during planning, establishment or construction. The environmental assessment processes involved in the establishment of such a scheme today are, naturally, more involved than those surround the initial planning of the Scheme. Had these modern processes existed at the time of the establishment of the Scheme, a different outcome could have arisen. The ANZECC guidelines are used as a framework with which to examine the establishment of the Scheme. The current state of the environment surrounding the Scheme is examined, and while some areas are found wanting, others, namely concerns due to erosion, have been adequately examined with appropriate safeguards implemented. The modern framework of Environmental Impact Assessments prove to offer valuable insights in the implementation of large scale projects, and illuminates the processes by which the Scheme managed without an EIA, namely by concentrating on only those aspects of the natural environment which could directly feedback into and effect the viability of the Scheme. This paper is a revised version of a project completed as part of the requirements for the degree of Master in Public Policy, Australian National University.