Unconventional oil and gas: strategic environmental assessment - post adoption statement

2. Strategic Environmental Assessment Process

2.1.1 The 2005 Act requires public bodies in Scotland to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on their plans, programmes and strategies. SEA is a way of examining plans as they develop to identify any significant effects they may have on the environment. It ensures that environmental considerations are taken into account and, where required, proposes mitigation measures to avoid or minimise any potentially significant adverse environmental effects.

2.1.2 The SEA process commenced with scoping, and a scoping report was submitted to the SEA Gateway in March 2018. All the environmental topic areas were scoped into the assessment. The scoping report was followed in October 2018 by the Environmental Report, which was made available for comment alongside an updated Preferred Policy Position Statement and a partial BRIA. A Consultation Addendum was subsequently published for consultation in April 2019. Responses to the 2017 Talking “Fracking” consultation^[6], 2018 consultation, and 2019 addendum consultation have all been taken into account in reaching the finalised policy position of 3 October 2019.   

2.2 Structure of this Post Adoption Statement 

2.2.1 This SEA Post Adoption Statement is the final output from the SEA process and is required under the 2005 Act. Section 18(3) of the 2005 Act sets out the information that should be included in the SEA Post Adoption Statement.  In summary, it should set out:

• how the environmental considerations have been integrated into the plan, programme or strategy; 
• how the Environmental Report has been taken into account;
• how the opinions expressed by consultees have been taken into account; 
• the reasons for choosing the plan, programme or strategy as adopted, in light of any reasonable alternatives considered; and 
• the measures to be taken to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan, programme or strategy.

2.2.2 Where this Post Adoption Statement refers to the consultation responses received, it draws on the findings of the independent analysis of consultation responses which is available to view online^[7].