CEP Environmental Impact Analysis & Planning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 'Record of Decision' (ROD) in the NEPA process is issued by the lead agency to:
- State the agency's decision, identify alternatives considered, and describe mitigation measures to be adopted (Correct answer)
- Formally close the public comment period on a draft EIS
- Certify that no significant impacts were identified in the EA
- Transfer project approval authority to the state environmental agency
Correct answer: State the agency's decision, identify alternatives considered, and describe mitigation measures to be adopted
The ROD is the final NEPA document that announces the agency's choice, summarizes alternatives, and commits to mitigation.
Question 2: When conducting an air quality analysis for an EIA, a planner using dispersion modeling would primarily be predicting:
- Pollutant concentration levels at receptor locations downwind of the source (Correct answer)
- Total annual emissions from the facility in tons per year
- The number of air quality permit violations over a 10-year period
- Background ozone concentrations established by EPA monitoring networks
Correct answer: Pollutant concentration levels at receptor locations downwind of the source
Dispersion models (e.g., AERMOD) predict how emissions travel and dilute to estimate concentrations at specific receptor locations.
Question 3: The 'rule of reason' in NEPA analysis requires that alternatives be:
- Reasonable and feasible given the purpose and need of the project (Correct answer)
- Unlimited in number to ensure the agency considers all possibilities
- Limited to alternatives on federal land only
- Pre-approved by the Council on Environmental Quality before analysis
Correct answer: Reasonable and feasible given the purpose and need of the project
The rule of reason limits alternatives to those that are technically and economically feasible and meet the project's stated purpose and need.
Question 4: Environmental Justice analysis in EIA is primarily concerned with identifying disproportionate impacts on:
- Minority and low-income populations (Correct answer)
- Threatened and endangered species habitats
- Prime farmland and agricultural soils
- Historically designated cultural landmarks
Correct answer: Minority and low-income populations
Executive Order 12898 directs federal agencies to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and low-income communities.
Question 5: A 'categorical exclusion' (CE) under NEPA applies to actions that:
- Have been determined through agency experience not to individually or cumulatively cause significant environmental effects (Correct answer)
- Are exempt from environmental review because they involve private funding only
- Require expedited EIS preparation within 30 days
- Have been reviewed under a previous EIS within the last 5 years
Correct answer: Have been determined through agency experience not to individually or cumulatively cause significant environmental effects
CEs are categories of actions established by agencies that normally do not cause significant impacts and therefore require no EA or EIS.
Question 6: In noise impact analysis for transportation projects, the Ldn (day-night average sound level) metric gives extra weight to nighttime noise by adding how many decibels to sounds occurring between 10 PM and 7 AM?
- 10 dB (Correct answer)
- 5 dB
- 15 dB
- 3 dB
Correct answer: 10 dB
The Ldn metric adds a 10 dB penalty to nighttime sounds to account for increased human sensitivity to noise during sleep hours.
Question 7: Which section of an EIS describes the project's purpose and the problem or opportunity it addresses, forming the foundation for alternatives development?
- Purpose and Need (Correct answer)
- Affected Environment
- Environmental Consequences
- Alternatives
Correct answer: Purpose and Need
The Purpose and Need section establishes why the project is proposed and defines the parameters that reasonable alternatives must meet.
CEP Environmental Impact Analysis & Planning 3
A 'Record of Decision' (ROD) in the NEPA process is issued by the lead agency to: