Environmental and Sustainability Planning Flashcards

Which federal law governs the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and established the Superfund program?

Answer: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

CERCLA, enacted in 1980, created the Superfund program to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and established liability for responsible parties.

What term describes the reuse of previously developed, potentially contaminated sites for new development?

Answer: Brownfield redevelopment

Brownfield redevelopment involves cleaning up and reusing contaminated or underutilized industrial/commercial properties, often with EPA and state program assistance.

The concept of 'ecosystem services' in planning refers to:

Answer: Benefits that humans derive from natural ecosystems

Ecosystem services include provisioning (food, water), regulating (climate, floods), cultural (recreation), and supporting (nutrient cycling) services provided by natural systems.

Which planning tool establishes maximum amounts of pollution that a water body can receive while meeting water quality standards?

Answer: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

TMDLs, required under the Clean Water Act, set pollutant load limits for impaired water bodies and allocate loads among point and nonpoint sources.

What does a 'viewshed analysis' assess in environmental planning?

Answer: The geographic area visible from a specific point or along a corridor

Viewshed analysis uses GIS tools to determine what areas are visible from a given location, helping planners protect scenic resources and assess visual impacts.

What is 'mitigation sequencing' in environmental planning?

Answer: The hierarchy of avoid, minimize, and compensate for environmental impacts

Mitigation sequencing requires planners to first avoid impacts, then minimize unavoidable impacts, and finally compensate for residual impacts through mitigation measures.