The Environmental Assessment and Permit Department is responsible for the following:
- Study applications for environmental permits for establishments, projects and activities, conduct the necessary inspection to issue permits for them, and follow up on their validity period.
- Prepare the specifications, conditions and environmental requirements that establishments, projects and activities must implement, to ensure the protection of the environment.
- Assess the environmental status of existing facilities, for the purpose of issuing an environmental permit for them.
- Review and evaluate environmental impact assessment studies, and studies of environmental risks, and what is similar, with regard to facilities, projects and activities, and issue approvals in their regard.
- Review and evaluate studies related to the strategic environmental assessment, and issue approvals for them in relation to policies, plans, programs and what is similar.
- Supervise the application of environmental impact assessment and environmental sustainability.
- Cooperate with the competent authorities to develop, define and interpret environmental specifications and standards, and prepare frameworks and explanatory notes related to them.
- Review the documents of terms of reference and scope of work for studies and plans.
- Lay the foundations and requirements for evaluating environmental consultants and contractors for the purposes of registration and accreditation.
- Receive and evaluate the requests of environmental consultants and contractors submitted for the purposes of registration and accreditation, issue a recommendation thereon, follow up on the companies’ performance periodically, and issue their lists.
- Issue environmental approvals related to environmental impact assessment studies.
- Issue operating permits for facilities after ensuring that they meet the environmental conditions and requirements.
- Follow-up plans to correct the conditions of establishments for the purpose of issuing operating permits.