ASP Environmental Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Clean Water Act, what is the primary purpose of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit?
- To authorize discharge of pollutants into navigable waters under specific conditions (Correct answer)
- To prohibit all industrial water usage near waterways
- To establish drinking water quality standards for municipalities
- To regulate groundwater injection activities exclusively
Correct answer: To authorize discharge of pollutants into navigable waters under specific conditions
NPDES permits allow point source discharges of pollutants into US waters provided the discharger meets specified effluent limitations and monitoring requirements.
Question 2: A facility generates 800 kg of hazardous waste in a single calendar month. Under RCRA, this facility is classified as a:
- Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator
- Small Quantity Generator
- Large Quantity Generator (Correct answer)
- Universal Waste Handler
Correct answer: Large Quantity Generator
Generators producing 1,000 kg or more per month are Large Quantity Generators; 800 kg falls just below, making this a Small Quantity Generator (100–999 kg/month).
Question 3: Which environmental regulation requires facilities to report accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances above threshold quantities to local emergency planning committees?
- TSCA Section 8(e)
- EPCRA Section 304 (Correct answer)
- CAA Title V
- CERCLA Section 103
Correct answer: EPCRA Section 304
EPCRA Section 304 mandates immediate notification to the LEPC and SERC when a release of an extremely hazardous substance exceeds its reportable quantity.
Question 4: The concept of 'secondary containment' in environmental management is primarily designed to:
- Reduce evaporative emissions from storage tanks
- Prevent releases from reaching the environment if primary containment fails (Correct answer)
- Filter stormwater runoff before discharge
- Separate incompatible chemicals during storage
Correct answer: Prevent releases from reaching the environment if primary containment fails
Secondary containment (e.g., dikes, berms, double-walled tanks) provides a backup barrier to capture spills if the primary container leaks or fails.
Question 5: Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a manufacturer must submit a Premanufacture Notice (PMN) to the EPA:
- Within 30 days after first commercial production of a new chemical
- At least 90 days before commencing manufacture of a new chemical substance (Correct answer)
- Only when the chemical is classified as a carcinogen
- After 1,000 kg of the substance has been produced
Correct answer: At least 90 days before commencing manufacture of a new chemical substance
TSCA Section 5 requires a PMN to be submitted at least 90 days before manufacturing or importing a new chemical substance not on the TSCA Inventory.
Question 6: An Environmental Management System (EMS) following ISO 14001 is built around which continuous improvement framework?
- DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control)
- Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle (Correct answer)
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) methodology
- Hierarchy of Controls model
Correct answer: Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle
ISO 14001 EMS is structured around the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to drive continual environmental performance improvement.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'significant environmental aspect' in ISO 14001 terminology?
- Any chemical listed on OSHA's hazard communication standard
- An element of an organization's activities that has or can have a significant environmental impact (Correct answer)
- A regulatory violation reported to the EPA
- A natural disaster affecting facility operations
Correct answer: An element of an organization's activities that has or can have a significant environmental impact
An environmental aspect is an element of activities, products, or services that interacts with the environment; it becomes 'significant' when its impact is deemed major through the organization's evaluation criteria.
ASP Environmental Management 4
Under the Clean Water Act, what is the primary purpose of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit?