Environmental Impact & Sustainability Flashcards
6 cards from real CTE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Environmental Impact & Sustainability flashcards as text
Under NEPA, what document is required for federal transportation actions that significantly affect the human environment?
Answer: Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required by NEPA for federal actions with significant environmental effects, providing a full analysis of alternatives and impacts.
What is the purpose of Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act in transportation project planning?
Answer: Protects publicly owned parks, wildlife refuges, and historic sites from transportation project use
Section 4(f) prohibits USDOT from approving projects that use land from significant publicly owned parks, recreation areas, wildlife refuges, or historic sites unless there is no feasible and prudent alternative.
Which Clean Air Act provision requires transportation plans and programs in nonattainment areas to conform to the State Implementation Plan (SIP)?
Answer: Transportation Conformity
Transportation Conformity ensures that federally funded transportation plans, programs, and projects in nonattainment/maintenance areas do not worsen air quality or impede SIP attainment.
What is the primary purpose of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for highway construction projects?
Answer: To document best management practices that minimize sediment and pollutant discharge during construction
A SWPPP identifies erosion control BMPs, inspection schedules, and responsible parties to prevent stormwater runoff from carrying sediment and pollutants to waterways during construction.
Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which agency issues permits for discharge of dredged or fill material into Waters of the US?
Answer: Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
The US Army Corps of Engineers administers the Section 404 permit program, which regulates the placement of dredged or fill material into jurisdictional waters, including wetlands.
What does 'mitigation sequencing' require in the context of wetland impacts from highway projects?
Answer: Avoiding impacts first, then minimizing, then compensating for unavoidable impacts
The EPA/USACE mitigation rule requires applicants to first avoid wetland impacts, then minimize unavoidable impacts, and finally provide compensatory mitigation for residual losses.