Environmental Compliance Flashcards

Which EPA program requires facilities storing hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities to submit emergency planning information to local emergency responders?

Answer: Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)

EPCRA Sections 311 and 312 require facilities storing hazardous chemicals above threshold planning quantities to submit Material Safety Data Sheets and chemical inventory reports to Local Emergency Planning Committees.

A facility reduces waste generation by redesigning its process to use a water-based solvent instead of a chlorinated solvent. This action is best classified as which tier of the waste management hierarchy?

Answer: Source reduction

Substituting a less hazardous input material to eliminate waste generation at the source is the highest tier of the waste management hierarchy — source reduction or pollution prevention.

Under OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, which element requires facilities to analyze hazards of processes involving highly hazardous chemicals?

Answer: Process hazard analysis (PHA)

Process hazard analysis (PHA) is a core PSM element that systematically identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards in processes involving highly hazardous chemicals to prevent catastrophic releases.

A reliability engineer is tasked with reducing a facility's Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Which action directly addresses Scope 2 emissions?

Answer: Purchasing renewable energy certificates for purchased electricity

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with purchased electricity, heat, or steam; purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) directly reduces a facility's Scope 2 inventory.

Which environmental compliance concept requires a facility to demonstrate that it cannot meet water quality standards without a treatment variance before one is granted?

Answer: Water quality-based effluent limitation (WQBEL)

Water quality-based effluent limitations (WQBELs) are set when technology-based limits alone are insufficient to meet ambient water quality standards in the receiving water body.

In environmental auditing, what distinguishes a 'compliance audit' from a 'management systems audit'?

Answer: Compliance audits evaluate adherence to specific legal requirements; management systems audits evaluate the EMS framework itself

Compliance audits verify conformance with regulatory requirements and permit conditions, while management systems audits evaluate whether the EMS structure, processes, and controls are effectively implemented.

Which statistical tool is most appropriate for analyzing trends in environmental monitoring data over time to detect drift toward permit limits?

Answer: Control chart

Control charts plot monitoring data sequentially over time and use statistical control limits to detect trends, shifts, or drift that may indicate a process moving toward or exceeding permit limits.