The scope of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) has traditionally been limited to on-site effects. This approach faces limitations when dealing with intricate value chains. Particularly for projects involving biomass-to-energy facilities, the primary environmental impacts often originate from off-site biomass production. This article considers the resulting limitations of EIAs by using two legal disputes in France as illustrative examples. In the Gardanne and the La Mède cases, French Administrative Courts sought to establish the necessity for project proponents to incorporate supply-related impacts into the EIA process. Strategies aimed at broadening the scope of EIAs, either by expanding the assessed project boundaries or by invoking the concept of cumulative impacts, were not deemed the most relevant approaches. Instead, the concept of ‘indirect impact’ emerged as a valuable tool for incorporating supply-related impacts. However, to prevent the indirect impact concept from being disregarded as too ambiguous or ineffective, it should be complemented by precise criteria to determine whether an impact may be considered indirect. We study these avenues within the broader evolving landscape of EIA laws, and by exploring ways to harmonize EIAs with other regulatory instruments governing value chains.

中文翻译：

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价值链和环境影响评估：从两个法国生物能源设施法律案例中汲取的经验教训


环境影响评估 （EIA） 的范围传统上仅限于现场影响。这种方法在处理复杂的价值链时面临限制。特别是对于涉及生物质发电设施的项目，主要的环境影响通常来自场外生物质生产。本文以法国的两起法律纠纷为例，探讨了环境影响评估的局限性。在 Gardanne 和 La Mède 案中，法国行政法院试图确定项目倡议者有必要将与供应相关的影响纳入环境影响评估流程。旨在通过扩大评估的项目边界或援引累积影响的概念来扩大环境影响评估范围的战略，并不被认为是最相关的方法。相反，“间接影响”的概念成为纳入供应相关影响的宝贵工具。然而，为了防止间接影响概念因过于模糊或无效而被忽视，应辅以精确的标准来确定影响是否可以被视为间接影响。我们在更广泛、不断发展的环境影响评估法律环境中研究这些途径，并探索将环境影响评估与管理价值链的其他监管工具协调一致的方法。