Environmental Impact Assessment Flashcards

Which Clean Water Act section specifically regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including fish-bearing streams?

Answer: Section 404

CWA Section 404, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, regulates permits for dredge and fill discharges into waters of the US, protecting aquatic habitats.

When assessing cumulative impacts on a fish population, which factor is MOST critical to include beyond the direct project effects?

Answer: Past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions in the watershed

NEPA requires cumulative impact analysis to consider all past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions that may affect the same resource, reflecting total watershed-level stress.

Which metric from the Physical Habitat Simulation (PHABSIM) model is used to determine instream flow requirements for fish?

Answer: Weighted Usable Area (WUA)

PHABSIM calculates Weighted Usable Area (WUA) at various flow levels, combining hydraulic simulations with habitat suitability criteria to define flow needs for target fish species.

A proposed dam will inundate 50 miles of salmon spawning habitat. Under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, which agency must be consulted?

Answer: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the relevant state fish and wildlife agency

The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires federal agencies to consult with USFWS and the state fish and wildlife agency whenever waters are impounded, diverted, or otherwise controlled.

In impact significance determination, which combination of factors typically elevates an impact to 'significant' under NEPA's context and intensity criteria?

Answer: High controversy, irreversible, affects unique or endangered resources

CEQ regulations identify high public controversy, irreversibility, and effects on unique or endangered resources as key intensity factors that elevate an impact to 'significant.'

Which tool is used to map Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations when preparing an EIA for an offshore energy project affecting marine fisheries?

Answer: NOAA's EFH Mapper GIS database

NOAA Fisheries maintains an EFH Mapper GIS tool that displays EFH designations by species and life stage, which must be consulted under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for federal actions affecting EFH.

An EIA identifies that a proposed bridge crossing will temporarily increase stream turbidity. Which mitigation measure hierarchy step should be evaluated FIRST?

Answer: Avoidance by relocating the crossing to avoid the stream entirely

The mitigation sequence requires first evaluating avoidance of impacts entirely before considering minimization, rectification, or compensatory mitigation.