This study examined the legal context of environmental impact assessment. It revealed there is now a legal base, not just for project-based environmental impact assessment, but more wide-ranging assessment of plans and programmes. It revealed again that one role of law in environmental impact assessment process is to establish a framework for procedures, culminating in the legal authorization of a project, policy or piece of legislation. It further revealed that the element of legal control is broadly indirect: environmental impact assessment provides a conduit by which information may enter decision making procedures, but in theory at least, it will not determine the outcomes of these procedures. The study concluded that the judicial branch of the legal system has now more fully accommodated the demands of environmental impact assessment procedures, particularly in terms of upholding rights of participation.
Keywords:Legal, Environmental impact assessment, Procedure.