Regarding the conduct of public hearings

According to paragraph 1 of Article 96 of the Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the Code), holding public hearings in the process of state environmental expertise is mandatory.
At the same time, the initiator, before submitting documents for state environmental expertise, coordinates with the local executive body the date and place of public hearings.
At the same time, according to Article 87 of the Code, the following objects of state environmental expertise are subject to mandatory state environmental expertise:
1) project documentation for the construction and (or) operation of objects of I and II categories and other project documents provided for by this Code for obtaining environmental permits;
2) project documentation for the construction and (or) operation of Category III facilities and other project documents provided for by this Code, necessary for the preparation of an environmental impact declaration.
At the same time, according to Article 122 of the Code, project documentation for the construction and (or) operation of category I or II facilities, materials of environmental assessment according to a simplified procedure, draft emission standards, draft waste management program, draft program of industrial environmental control, draft action plan for environmental protection for the period of validity of the environmental impact permit, draft standards for the placement of sulfur in open form on sulfur maps (during operations for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons) and other project documents are subject to state environmental expertise in the framework of the issuance of environmental impact permits.
It follows from this that all project documents submitted for the state environmental assessment are subject to public hearings.
To make a final decision on the object, the body conducting the state environmental assessment takes into account the results of public hearings.
In turn, the environmental legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan provides for the revision of the materials of the state environmental expertise, during which the applicant can send the results of taking into account public opinion as part of the revised materials.