CPP Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CPP exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CPP Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CPP Topics to Study (37)
✍️ Sample CPP Questions & Answers
1. What is the role of a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) in US permitting?
THPOs serve as the tribal counterpart to SHPOs in Section 106 consultation, ensuring that impacts to tribal historic properties and cultural resources are considered in federal undertakings.
2. Which approach to public participation involves forming a representative group of stakeholders to meet regularly and help shape a project or policy?
Advisory committees and stakeholder working groups provide ongoing structured participation where diverse interests collaboratively inform permit decisions.
3. What is the 'Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)' most commonly known as, and when does it affect permitting?
CERCLA (Superfund) imposes strict, joint, and several liability for hazardous substance cleanup; permitting professionals must assess Superfund liability when siting projects on or near contaminated properties.
4. In conducting site due diligence, what is a 'regulatory database search' designed to reveal?
Regulatory database searches identify properties listed on EPA, state, and local databases (Superfund, RCRA, UST, leaking underground storage tank lists) near the subject property that could indicate contamination concerns.
5. What is a 'hard look' requirement as it applies to public comments?
Courts require agencies to take a 'hard look' at environmental impacts and meaningfully respond to substantive public comments rather than dismiss them.
6. What is a 'development agreement' between a local government and a developer?
A development agreement is a negotiated contract that locks in land use regulations for a project over time, providing the developer certainty while the jurisdiction secures commitments for infrastructure and community benefits.