Risk Management & Mitigation Flashcards
6 cards from real CPP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Risk Management & Mitigation flashcards as text
In permitting risk management, what does a 'mitigation hierarchy' prioritize?
Answer: Avoiding impacts first, then minimizing unavoidable impacts, then compensating for residual impacts
The mitigation hierarchy — avoid, minimize, restore, offset — is applied sequentially, with avoidance as the preferred approach before other measures are considered.
What is a 'Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement' (PEIS) and how does it manage risk?
Answer: An EIS that evaluates environmental impacts of broad programs, policies, or plans, allowing tiering of subsequent project-level reviews
A PEIS evaluates cumulative and programmatic impacts upfront, enabling tiered project-level EISs to incorporate programmatic findings and reducing redundancy and risk of challenge.
What is an 'Environmental Management System (EMS)' and its role in permit compliance?
Answer: A systematic framework (e.g., ISO 14001) for managing environmental aspects, ensuring permit conditions are tracked and met
An EMS like ISO 14001 provides structure for identifying environmental aspects, setting compliance objectives, monitoring performance, and correcting deficiencies, reducing compliance risk.
What is 'compensatory mitigation' under the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory framework?
Answer: Actions taken to offset unavoidable impacts to wetlands and waters through restoration, enhancement, establishment, or preservation
Compensatory mitigation (including mitigation banking, in-lieu fee programs, and permittee-responsible mitigation) offsets residual impacts to wetlands after avoidance and minimization.
What is the purpose of a 'risk matrix' in permitting project management?
Answer: To assess and prioritize risks by evaluating the likelihood and consequence of each potential issue during the permitting process
A risk matrix helps permitting teams systematically evaluate which risks require the most attention by plotting likelihood against potential impact severity.
What is a 'permit shield' provision and how does it protect permit holders?
Answer: A Clean Water Act provision that protects NPDES permittees from enforcement for discharges that comply with permit conditions and were disclosed during application
The CWA Section 402 permit shield means that compliance with a valid NPDES permit is a complete defense against enforcement for covered discharges, provided full disclosure was made.