Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

Question 1

The first Earth Day was

Answer 1

April 22, 1970

Question 2

Rachel Carson

Answer 2

the author of Silent Spring, which was published in 1962. In the book, Carson examined the dangers of chemical pesticides, such as DDT, on plants, animals, and humans. The book greatly influenced the way people think about the environment.

Question 3

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Answer 3

Created in 1927 in order to create the Colorado River Aqueduct. It was built between 1933 and 1941. It ran a water pipeline to Los Angeles.

Question 4

Effluent Standards

Answer 4

Are set restrictions on the discharge of pollutants into the environment. Effluent guidelines reduce the discharge of pollutants that have serious environmental impacts. The EPA has effluent guidelines for more than 50 categories.

Question 5

Point Source Pollution

Answer 5

is discharged directly from a specific site, such as a sewage treatment plant or an industrial pipe.

Question 6

Non-point Source Pollution

Answer 6

is contaminated runoff from many sources.

Question 7

Aquifer

Answer 7

is one or more strata of rock or sediment that is saturated and sufficiently permeable to yield economically significant quantities of water to wells or springs. An aquifer includes any geologic material that is currently used or could be used as a source of water within the target distance limit.

Question 8

Estuary

Answer 8

is an area where freshwater meets saltwater

Question 9

The Clean Water Act

Answer 9

1972
The Act requires anyone wanting to discharge pollutants into a body of water to obtain a permit. It also regulates the amount of water that can be discharged and the types of pollutants that can be released.

Question 10

Clean Air Act

Answer 10

1970 and made major revisions in 1977 and 1990. The Act has provisions that cut off federal funding for metropolitan areas that are not in attainment. In non-attainment areas, new pollution sources are allowed only if there is a reduction in pollutants greater than the pollutants contributed by the source.

Question 11

The Act monitors six pollutants:

Answer 11

Ozone
Particulate Matter
Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Dioxide
Sulfur Dioxide
Lead

Question 12

Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)

Answer 12

relates to air quality and requires that a project will not increase emissions above a specified PSD increment.

Question 13

Ambient Air Quality Standards

Answer 13

the maximum air contaminant concentrations allowed in the ambient air

Question 14

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)

Answer 14

Created the Council of Enviro Quality

EPA requires Federal agencies to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for all major Federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment.

Can do a EA to see if a EIS is needed. FONSI means no EIS.

Question 15

The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899

Answer 15

Considered the oldest environmental law in the U.S

Prohibited the construction of any bridge, dam, dike, or causeway over any navigable waterway in the U.S. without Congressional approval.
The Act also required Congressional approval for all wharves, piers, or jetties, and the excavation or fill of navigable waters.

Question 16

The Water Pollution Control Act of 1948

Answer 16

Allowed the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, in cooperation with other entities, to prepare a program for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters/ tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters.

Question 17

The Water Quality Act of 1965

Answer 17

established the Water Pollution Control Administration within the Department of the Interior. This was the first time water quality was treated as an environmental concern rather than a public health concern.

Question 18

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972

Answer 18

later amended in 1990, focused efforts to reduce polluted runoff in 29 coastal states.

Question 19

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972

Answer 19

amended the Water Pollutant Act of 1948. The amendments broadened the government’s authority over water pollution and restructured the authority for water pollution under the Environmental Protection Agency. The Act changed the enforcement from water quality standards to regulate the number of pollutants being discharged from particular point sources.

Question 20

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

Answer 20

provides protection of animal and plant species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designates as threatened or endangered. This act was later amended in 1988.

Question 21

The Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) of 1978

Answer 21

promotes alternative energy sources, energy efficiency, and reduced dependence on foreign oil. It also created a market for non-utility power producers and requires competition in the utility industry.

Question 22

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

Answer 22

of 1980 created a $1.6 billion Superfund to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites and requires major industries to report annual releases of toxic wastes into the air, water, or ground. Superfund is the common name for CERCLA. There are more than 1,200 superfund sites across the U.S. A tax on the petroleum and chemical industries provide funding to help pay for the cleanup of superfund sites.

Question 23

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976

Answer 23

provided EPA with the ability to control hazardous waste from the “cradle-to-grave.” This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste, as well as the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. The 1986 amendment covered environmental issues associated with underground storage tanks for fuel and other hazardous substances.

Question 24

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976

Answer 24

provided EPA with responsibility for reporting, record-keeping and testing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures. Certain substances are generally excluded, including food, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides.

Question 25

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Answer 25

were originally passed in 1947 and established procedures for registering pesticides with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. FIFRA was rewritten in 1972 when it was amended by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA). The law has been amended numerous times since 1972, including some significant amendments in the form of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. FIFRA currently mandates that EPA regulate the use and sale of pesticides to protect human health and the environment.

Question 26

Safe Drinking Water Act

Answer 26

was passed in 1974 and has been amended several times since. This law protects both the sources of drinking water and the end product.

Question 27

Brownfields

Answer 27

are “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.”