Environmental Impact Assessment Flashcards

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to consult on potential impacts to what category of resources during an EIA?

Answer: Historic properties listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

Section 106 requires agencies to assess effects of their undertakings on historic properties — those listed or eligible for the National Register — and consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer.

Which of the following BEST describes 'adaptive management' as applied in EIA and project monitoring?

Answer: An iterative management approach that adjusts actions based on monitoring outcomes

Adaptive management uses monitoring data to evaluate whether predicted impacts are occurring and adjusts management actions accordingly, reducing uncertainty over time.

When evaluating the significance of an environmental impact under NEPA, CEQ regulations direct agencies to consider which two main dimensions?

Answer: Context and intensity of the impact

CEQ regulations specify that significance must be determined by evaluating context (the setting and affected interests) and intensity (severity, including beneficial and adverse effects).

For a timber harvest EIA on National Forest land, which planning framework establishes the forest-level standards and guidelines that the project-level analysis must be consistent with?

Answer: The Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan)

Under the National Forest Management Act, each National Forest's Forest Plan sets legally binding standards, guidelines, and goals that all project-level decisions, including EIAs, must comply with.

Which greenhouse gas is of GREATEST concern in EIAs for large-scale forest disturbance activities such as wildfire suppression failures or stand-replacing harvests?

Answer: Carbon dioxide (CO2) from rapid biomass combustion and decomposition

Large-scale forest disturbances release substantial stored carbon as CO2 through combustion and decomposition, making carbon stock loss the primary GHG concern in forest EIAs.

A cooperating agency in a NEPA process is defined as an agency that has what type of authority or expertise relevant to the proposed action?

Answer: Jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to the environmental impacts involved

CEQ regulations define cooperating agencies as those with jurisdiction by law or special expertise on any environmental impact involved in the proposal, allowing them to contribute specialized analysis.

In forest EIA practice, a 'baseline assessment' serves primarily to document which condition?

Answer: The existing environmental conditions before any project-related disturbance occurs

A baseline assessment characterizes existing environmental conditions — biological, physical, and socioeconomic — providing the reference point against which all predicted impacts are measured.