HSE Environmental Compliance 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), facilities must immediately notify the LEPC and SERC when an extremely hazardous substance is released above what threshold?
- Any detectable quantity
- The reportable quantity (RQ) (Correct answer)
- The threshold planning quantity (TPQ)
- 1 pound or more
Correct answer: The reportable quantity (RQ)
EPCRA Section 304 requires immediate notification to the LEPC and SERC when an EHS release equals or exceeds its reportable quantity (RQ) established by EPA.
Question 2: A facility wants to install a new piece of equipment that will emit 75 tons per year of NOx in an area designated as nonattainment for ozone. Which permitting pathway applies?
- PSD permitting with BACT analysis
- Nonattainment NSR permitting with LAER and offsets (Correct answer)
- Title V operating permit only
- Minor New Source Review only
Correct answer: Nonattainment NSR permitting with LAER and offsets
In nonattainment areas, new major sources must obtain a Nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) permit requiring Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) and emission offsets.
Question 3: Which document must accompany hazardous waste from a generator to a treatment, storage, or disposal facility (TSDF) under RCRA?
- Bill of lading
- Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (Correct answer)
- Material Safety Data Sheet
- Tier II report
Correct answer: Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
The Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest is a required shipping document that tracks hazardous waste from the point of generation to final disposal under RCRA.
Question 4: Under the Clean Air Act, which term refers to pollutants for which EPA has set national ambient air quality standards to protect public health?
- Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)
- Criteria Pollutants (Correct answer)
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
Correct answer: Criteria Pollutants
Criteria pollutants are six common air pollutants (PM, ozone, CO, SO₂, NO₂, Pb) for which EPA establishes NAAQS based on health and welfare criteria.
Question 5: A brownfield is best described as which of the following?
- A pristine greenspace designated for industrial development
- Previously developed property where expansion is complicated by real or perceived contamination (Correct answer)
- A federally designated Superfund National Priority List site
- Agricultural land converted to commercial use
Correct answer: Previously developed property where expansion is complicated by real or perceived contamination
Brownfields are properties where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination, typically from prior industrial or commercial use.
Question 6: Which international agreement obligates the United States to phase out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?
- Kyoto Protocol
- Paris Agreement
- Montreal Protocol (Correct answer)
- Basel Convention
Correct answer: Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987) is the international treaty requiring the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances including CFCs.
Question 7: Under RCRA's Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR), hazardous waste must meet which requirement before being placed in or on the land?
- Dilution to below detection limits
- Treatment to specified standards that reduce toxicity or mobility (Correct answer)
- Neutralization to pH 7
- Solidification regardless of waste type
Correct answer: Treatment to specified standards that reduce toxicity or mobility
LDRs prohibit land disposal of hazardous waste unless it has been treated to meet EPA-specified treatment standards that reduce hazardous constituents' toxicity or mobility.
HSE Environmental Compliance 4
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), facilities must immediately notify the LEPC and SERC when an extremely hazardous substance is released above what threshold?