DEQ Environmental Impact Assessment 2

Question 1

What is 'cumulative impact' analysis in NEPA environmental review?

Accepted Answer

An assessment of the combined impact of the proposed action together with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions in the area

Answer

Cumulative impact analysis evaluates whether the proposed action, combined with other past and future actions, results in significant impacts even if each individual action's impact is minor.

Question 2

Which state-level environmental review process is often called 'little NEPA' and mirrors the federal NEPA process?

Accepted Answer

State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) or equivalent state law

Answer

Many states have enacted their own environmental review laws modeled on NEPA—often called 'little NEPAs'—that require state agencies to assess the environmental impacts of state-funded or state-approved actions.

Question 3

What does Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification require?

Accepted Answer

States to certify that federally licensed or permitted activities will comply with state water quality standards before the federal permit is issued

Answer

Section 401 requires applicants for federal licenses or permits to obtain state certification that the activity will comply with state water quality standards, giving states a powerful voice over federally permitted projects.

Question 4

What is a 'finding of no significant impact' (FONSI) in NEPA?

Accepted Answer

A document prepared by a federal agency stating that a proposed action will not have a significant effect on the human environment and therefore does not require an EIS

Answer

A FONSI concludes the EA process by documenting the agency's determination that the proposed action's impacts are not significant, eliminating the need for a full EIS.

Question 5

What does 'indirect impact' mean in NEPA impact analysis?

Accepted Answer

Impacts that are caused by the action but occur later in time or farther removed in distance, such as induced development triggered by a new highway

Answer

Indirect impacts are caused by the action but occur later in time or at a distance, such as secondary development, population growth, or ecosystem changes induced by the primary project.

DEQ - Department of Environmental Quality Practice Test

DEQ - Department of Environmental Quality Practice Test

DEQ Environmental Impact Assessment 2