The Assessment & Permits Department handles the following responsibilities:
1- Establish and approve the environmental specifications, conditions, and requirements to be followed in the course of implementing projects, building facilities, or holding activities. Accordingly, the Department is also responsible for creating a mechanism to enforce those conditions in order to ensure the protection of the environment and the optimal and sustainable utilization of environmental resources.
2- Supervise the implementation of the procedures for environmental impact and environmental sustainability assessment in coordination with the relevant administrative units and bodies.
3- Study environmental permit applications for projects, facilities, and activities, and carry out the necessary inspection ahead of issuing permits. The department should also be mindful of the duration of any permits issued.
4- Review and assess the studies of environmental impact studies, studies on environmental risks, and any other similar studies with relation to facilities, projects, and events, and accordingly issue the necessary approvals.
5- Update any environmental permits as needed after reassessing the environmental situation of facilities, projects, and activities, in order to ensure their environmental compatibility at all times.
6- Issue operating permits to facilities, projects, and activities that have obtained an environmental permit, and carry out any necessary inspections. Any operating permit should only be issued after ensuring that all environmental specifications and requirements have been fulfilled, while also being mindful of the duration of such permits.
7- Assess the studies conducted on strategic environmental assessment. The Department also handles issuing any approvals with regard to any policies, plans, programs, etc… enacted in line with said strategic studies.
8- Cooperate with the relevant bodies to establish, dictate, and interpret the environmental specifications and requirements, and establish interpretation frameworks and guidelines.
9- Establish the criteria for assessing environmental damage and estimating environmental compensation for economic, development, and industrial projects in coordination with the relevant bodies.
10- Establish the standards and conditions for evaluating environmental advisors and contractors for the purpose of licensing them in coordination with the relevant bodies.
11- Assess and address the licensing applications of potential environmental advisors and contractors. As relates to this, the Department is also responsible for preparing the necessary studies and plans for preparing and monitoring advisors and contractors in coordination with the relevant bodies. Furthermore, the Department is responsible for regularly monitoring the performance of environmental firms and issue updated lists of such bodies.
