Federal Acts, Federal Agencies, National Organizations

Question 1

Department of the Interior

Answer 1

Federal agency that includes the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. This agency employs more landscape architects than any other federal agency

Question 2

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Answer 2

Federal agency responsible responsible for administering and enforcing federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, etc.

Question 3

Army Corp. of Engineers

Answer 3

Provides quality, responsive engineering services to the nation including planning, designing, building, and operating water resources and other civil works projects (navigation, flood control, environmental protection, disaster response, etc.)

Question 4

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Answer 4

Agency responsible for administering National Flood Insurance Program

Question 5

Fish and Wildlife Service

Answer 5

Provides for wildlife conservation; allows for surveys and investigations of wildlife to be conducted in the public domain

Question 6

Federal Water Pollution Act of 1972 (FWPCA)

Answer 6

Primary federal law in US governing water pollution. Makes it illegal to discharge any toxic or non-toxic pollution without a permit. Encourages the use of the best available technology for pollution control.
Provides federal funding for constructing sewage treatment plants

Question 7

Clean Water Act (amendment to FWPCA) (1977)

Answer 7

Establishes the control of toxic pollutants; established a program to transfer the responsibility of Federal Clean Water programs to individual states.
Includes dredged materials; solid waste; incinerator residue; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials; heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; cellar dirt; and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water (e.g. wastewater, stormwater runoff)

Question 8

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Answer 8

Permitting system of the Clean Water Act that controls water pollution by regulation point and non point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the US

Question 9

Endangered Species Act

Answer 9

Governs how animal and plant species whose populations are dangerously in decline or close to extinction will be protected and recovered

Question 10

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Answer 10

Enacted to ensure the integration of natural and social sciences and environmental design in planning and decision-taking for federal projects or projects on federal land

Question 11

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Answer 11

Regulates the treatment of water for human consumption; requires testing for and elimination of contaminants for the protection of human health

Question 12

Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL 83-566)

Answer 12

Authorizes state and local governments to carry out works of improvement for soil conservation and for other purposes including flood prevention, conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water; and conservation and proper utilization of land

Question 13

Wellhead Protection Program

Answer 13

Amendment of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1986

Minimizes the potential for contamination of public groundwater supplies

Question 14

American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA)

Answer 14

National voice of the nursery and landscape industry; sets the standard for acceptable plant health and vigor. Publishes plant quality standards

Question 15

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Answer 15

Develops technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services (e.g. concrete standards)

Question 16

American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA)

Answer 16

Nonprofit professional society created to develop and preserve the highest standards of performance in the field of arboricultural consulting

Question 17

Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)

Answer 17

Technical society composed of architects, specifiers, engineers, contractors, product representatives, building owners, and facility managers who create and sustain the built environment. Provides a common system of organization and presentation of construction information

Question 18

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Answer 18

Federal commission that evaluates products, investigates the causes of product-related injuries, and issues and enforces safety standards

Question 19

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)

Answer 19

Has a sports and recreational light committee. Develops standards and design criteria for various sports, both indoor and outdoor

Question 20

International Society of Arboriculture

Answer 20

Worldwide professional organization dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation for trees and to promote research, technology, and the professional practice of arboriculture. Publishes a tree valuation methodology

Question 21

Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED)

Answer 21

A building environmental certification program developed and operated by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is a self-assessing system designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings. It evaluates the environmental performance from a “whole building” perspective over a building’s life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a green building.
Points are awarded for credits achieved. 40% of points must be achieved to gain certification. To earn the designation, buildings must earn points in the categories of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental air quality, and innovation and design process

Question 22

Landscape Contractors Association (LCA)

Answer 22

Exists to provide local resources to landscape professionals to help them maximize business potentials

Question 23

National Evaluation Service (NES)

Answer 23

An arm of the Council of American Building Officials sponsored jointly by three major American model code organizations. NES studies applications for new products and publishes evaluation reports