Maasvlakte 2 The sustainable port (pdf, 6427Kb)

25Environmental ImpactAssessment ZoningThe Environmental ImpactAssessment Zoning answersquestions concerning the spatialplanning and expected effects ofactivities in the Maasvlakte 2port and industrial area, from theRijnmond area to the depths of thehinterland. Road traffic and airquality are important themes inthis report.Innovative and based on aworst-case scenarioThe various studies undertakenwithin the context of theEnvironmental ImpactAssessments were bothexhaustive and extensive.Furthermore, they incorporate themost up-to-date scientific insights.A good example of innovativeresearch is the developmentof new, more detailed modelsin collaboration with scientists,in order to map out the impacton the coastal area and the sea.Such models were not yetavailable beforehand. Anotherexample is the study into theeffects of underwater soundcaused by sand extractionactivities. This is the first Dutchstudy to focus on how muchnoise is produced by sandextraction dredgers and how farthis sound travels underneaththe surface of the water. Inaddition, it looks into how muchof this is heard by, for example,nearby porpoises, codfish andseals and how they respond tothis sound.In virtually every impact prediction,the researchers have decided itis better to be safe than sorry andhave taken a worst-case scenarioas their starting point.Favourable opinion deliveredby EIA CommitteeIn December 2007, theindependent EnvironmentalImpact Assessment Committeeconcluded that the EIA reportsdealing with Maasvlakte 2provide sufficient insight into theenvironmental consequences ofthe construction and operation ofthe port expansion. In the view ofthe Committee, the operation ofMaasvlakte 2 will not, for example,result in a decline in air quality,because sufficient compensatorymeasures will be in place.