Regulatory Framework & Compliance Flashcards
7 cards from real CEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Regulatory Framework & Compliance flashcards as text
In a NEPA cumulative impact analysis, planners must consider:
Answer: Past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of agency involvement
CEQ regulations define cumulative impacts as those resulting from the incremental impact of the proposed action combined with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions.
Which Clean Water Act provision regulates point source discharges of pollutants into waters of the United States through a permitting system?
Answer: Section 402 — NPDES Program
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under CWA Section 402 requires permits for any point source discharge of pollutants into navigable waters.
Under RCRA Subtitle C, a 'small quantity generator' of hazardous waste generates how much waste per month?
Answer: Between 100 kg and 1,000 kg
Small quantity generators (SQGs) produce between 100 kg and 1,000 kg of hazardous waste per month and have intermediate regulatory requirements.
The concept of 'environmental justice' as incorporated into federal environmental review primarily requires agencies to:
Answer: Identify and address disproportionately high adverse effects on minority and low-income populations
Executive Order 12898 and EPA guidance require agencies to assess and mitigate disproportionate environmental and health burdens on minority and low-income communities.
Which of the following best describes the role of a 'responsible party' under CERCLA?
Answer: Any entity that may be liable for cleanup costs including current owners, past owners, generators, or transporters
CERCLA defines four categories of potentially responsible parties: current owners/operators, past owners/operators, generators, and transporters of hazardous substances.
A 'variance' in environmental regulation typically allows:
Answer: A site-specific departure from standard regulatory requirements upon demonstration of justification
A regulatory variance permits a specific facility or situation to deviate from standard requirements when the applicant demonstrates that alternative compliance is justified.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA establishes which two types of standards for public water systems?
Answer: Maximum Contaminant Levels and Maximum Contaminant Level Goals
The SDWA establishes non-enforceable MCLGs based on health goals and enforceable MCLs set as close to MCLGs as feasible.