ENV SP Safety Regulations and Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Clean Air Act's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set limits for six 'criteria pollutants.' Which of the following is NOT one of them?
- Carbon monoxide
- Sulfur dioxide
- Hydrogen sulfide (Correct answer)
- Ground-level ozone
Correct answer: Hydrogen sulfide
The six NAAQS criteria pollutants are CO, SO₂, ozone, PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, and lead — hydrogen sulfide is not among them.
Question 2: Which Envision credit category most directly requires evaluating safety risks to project workers and operators throughout the infrastructure lifecycle?
- Natural World (NW)
- Leadership (LD)
- Climate and Risk (CR) (Correct answer)
- Quality of Life (QL)
Correct answer: Climate and Risk (CR)
The Climate and Risk category includes credits addressing resilience and safety exposure to natural and human-caused hazards across the project lifecycle.
Question 3: Under CERCLA (Superfund), who can be held liable for cleanup costs at contaminated sites?
- Only the party that originally deposited hazardous substances
- Current and past owners, operators, generators, and transporters of hazardous substances (Correct answer)
- Only federal contractors who performed remediation work
- Only parties with more than 10% ownership interest in the property
Correct answer: Current and past owners, operators, generators, and transporters of hazardous substances
CERCLA imposes strict, joint and several liability on a broad class of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) including current owners, past owners, generators, and transporters.
Question 4: A project team is designing a roadway through a flood-prone area. Which federal program's maps and regulations must they consult to ensure compliance?
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) (Correct answer)
- EPA Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Policy
- USACE Section 10 Permit Program
- DOT Safe Routes to School Program
Correct answer: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
FEMA's NFIP establishes Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and floodplain management criteria that govern development in Special Flood Hazard Areas.
Question 5: In the context of Envision's RL2.2 'Avoid Traps and Vulnerabilities,' what does 'vulnerability' primarily refer to?
- Cybersecurity weaknesses in project management software
- Susceptibility of infrastructure to disruption from hazards and stressors (Correct answer)
- Legal liability exposure of the project owner
- Budget overruns due to regulatory non-compliance
Correct answer: Susceptibility of infrastructure to disruption from hazards and stressors
RL2.2 evaluates how well a project identifies and addresses physical and operational vulnerabilities to natural and human-caused hazards.
Question 6: Which regulation requires contractors on federally funded projects over $2,000 to pay workers the prevailing local wage and maintain safe working conditions under Davis-Bacon?
- Service Contract Act
- Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (Correct answer)
- Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act
- Fair Labor Standards Act
Correct answer: Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require payment of locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits on federal and federally assisted construction contracts over $2,000.
Question 7: A sustainability professional is assessing noise impacts from a highway project. Which federal agency sets noise abatement criteria for federally funded highway projects?
- EPA Office of Noise Abatement and Control
- FHWA Federal Highway Administration (Correct answer)
- OSHA Occupational Noise Exposure Standard
- FTA Federal Transit Administration
Correct answer: FHWA Federal Highway Administration
FHWA's regulations (23 CFR 772) establish noise abatement criteria and require noise analyses for federally funded highway projects.
ENV SP Safety Regulations and Compliance 3
The Clean Air Act's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set limits for six 'criteria pollutants.' Which of the following is NOT one of them?