• Place the proposed/existing activity in the context of the local and regional environment
• Sufficiently describe all components of the proposed/existing activity, so that the authority can consider approval of a well-defined project
• Identify the environmental issues/risks corresponding with the proposed/existing activity.

• Provide the basis of the proponent’s environment management program, which shows that the environmental Impacts resulting from the proposed/existing activity, including cumulative impact, can be acceptably managed and
• Provide a document that clearly sets out the reasons why the proposed/existing activity should be judged by the Authority to be environmentally acceptable.

• Define details of who, where, what,  and When environmental management and mitigation measures are to be executed
• Provide legal bodies and /Company and their contractors, developers and other stakeholders better on-site environment management control over the life of a project

• Allow Project advocate/defender to ensure their contractors fulfill environmental obligations on their behalf , and
• Demonstrate due diligence.

In addition, EMPs are often required as part of tendering for projects and are essential for some types of government projects

EMPs can be prepared at various times in a project’s life cycle. Usually these are prepared as:

• Construction EMPs ( CEMP)
• Operation EMPs ( OEMP)

And in some countries

• Decommissioning /Demolition EMPs ( DEMP)

After procuring project Environmental Permit Clearance; the following details CEMP & OEMP process:

Figure: CEMP & OEMP Process

• Introduction;
• Objectives and Structure of the CEMP;
• Legal and Regulatory requirements
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Overview of the Project development;
• Baseline environmental conditions
• Details of the construction activities with statement of work methods;
• Tabulated list of identified environmental aspects and impacts;

• Corrective actions/measures to control and manage the identified impacts related to the construction activities;
• Observing methodology, list of environmental quality parameters and the frequency of sampling or scope of monitoring;
• Incident/emergency preparedness and response;
• Data management and reporting; and
• Statement of responsibilities, whether separately or jointly, of contractors, consultants and/or the Project’s owner.

• Introduction;
• Objectives and Structure of the OEMP;
• Legal and Regulatory requirements
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Environmental management structure
• Non-conformance control, corrective and preventative action
• Environmental training and induction.

• Internal communication
• Community complaints
• Emergency/ Incident planning and response
• Environmental audit and inspection program
• Document control and review
• Management of mitigation measures and monitoring requirements.