CMS Environmental & Sustainability Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a waste is classified as hazardous if it exhibits which of the following characteristics?
- Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity (Correct answer)
- High volume, odor, color, or acidity
- Flammability, viscosity, density, or conductivity
- Radioactivity, pathogens, heavy metals, or organic solvents
Correct answer: Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity
RCRA defines hazardous waste by four characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity (ICRT).
Question 2: Which ISO standard provides the framework for an Environmental Management System (EMS) in manufacturing organizations?
- ISO 9001
- ISO 14001 (Correct answer)
- ISO 45001
- ISO 50001
Correct answer: ISO 14001
ISO 14001 specifies requirements for an Environmental Management System, helping organizations improve environmental performance.
Question 3: A manufacturing plant discharges process wastewater into a municipal sewer system. Which regulatory program primarily governs these discharges?
- RCRA Subtitle C
- Clean Air Act Title V
- Clean Water Act Pretreatment Program (Correct answer)
- CERCLA Emergency Response
Correct answer: Clean Water Act Pretreatment Program
The Clean Water Act Pretreatment Program regulates industrial discharges into publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
Question 4: What does the term 'life cycle assessment' (LCA) measure in the context of sustainable manufacturing?
- The operational lifespan of manufacturing equipment
- Environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through end-of-life disposal (Correct answer)
- The financial depreciation schedule of factory assets
- Employee tenure and workforce turnover rates
Correct answer: Environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through end-of-life disposal
LCA evaluates environmental impacts across a product's entire life cycle, from cradle to grave, including raw materials, production, use, and disposal.
Question 5: Under the Clean Air Act, a 'major source' of air pollution is generally defined as a facility emitting how many tons per year of a regulated pollutant?
- 10 tons per year or more
- 100 tons per year or more (Correct answer)
- 250 tons per year or more
- 500 tons per year or more
Correct answer: 100 tons per year or more
Under CAA Title V, a major source emits 100 tons per year or more of any regulated air pollutant, triggering Title V permitting requirements.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a 'Brownfield' site in the context of environmental compliance?
- Agricultural land converted to industrial use
- A greenfield site with pending zoning approval
- A previously developed property with potential contamination from prior use (Correct answer)
- A wetland area protected under the Clean Water Act
Correct answer: A previously developed property with potential contamination from prior use
Brownfields are formerly used industrial or commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment may be complicated by actual or suspected contamination.
Question 7: The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 establishes which hierarchy of preferred approaches to managing industrial waste?
- Dispose, treat, recycle, reduce
- Source reduction, recycling, treatment, disposal (Correct answer)
- Recycle, reuse, reduce, recover
- Treat, contain, monitor, document
Correct answer: Source reduction, recycling, treatment, disposal
The Pollution Prevention Act hierarchy prioritizes source reduction first, then recycling, then treatment, with disposal as the least preferred option.
CMS Environmental & Sustainability Compliance 2
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a waste is classified as hazardous if it exhibits which of the following characteristics?