Environmental Sustainability & Transportation Flashcards
7 cards from real MTO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental Sustainability & Transportation flashcards as text
What is a major environmental benefit of shifting freight from truck to rail?
Answer: Rail produces significantly fewer emissions per ton-mile than trucks
Freight rail produces approximately 75% less greenhouse gas emissions per ton-mile than trucking, making modal shifts a key strategy for reducing freight sector emissions.
What environmental problem is associated with road salt used for winter highway maintenance?
Answer: It contaminates nearby streams, lakes, and groundwater with chloride
Road salt runoff introduces chloride ions into water bodies, harming aquatic ecosystems and potentially contaminating drinking water sources.
Which US agency sets fuel economy standards (CAFE standards) for vehicles?
Answer: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
NHTSA sets Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that require automakers to meet minimum average fuel efficiency across their vehicle fleets.
What is the purpose of a 'Transportation Conformity' determination under the Clean Air Act?
Answer: To verify that transportation plans won't worsen air quality in nonattainment areas
Transportation conformity ensures that federally funded transportation plans and projects in air quality nonattainment areas will not cause or contribute to new air quality violations.
How do electric vehicles (EVs) reduce transportation's environmental impact even when charged with grid electricity?
Answer: EVs are more efficient than combustion engines, reducing total energy use and emissions even with imperfect grid power
Even when charged from a grid that includes fossil fuels, EVs are typically cleaner than gasoline vehicles due to greater drivetrain efficiency and the grid's improving renewable energy mix.
What does a 'multimodal' transportation network contribute to environmental sustainability?
Answer: It gives travelers options beyond driving, reducing car trips and emissions
Multimodal networks integrate transit, walking, cycling, and driving so that travelers can choose lower-emission options, collectively reducing vehicle miles traveled.
What environmental issue do roadway stormwater retention ponds primarily address?
Answer: Capturing and treating polluted runoff before it enters natural waterways
Retention ponds capture stormwater runoff from roads that contains oil, heavy metals, and other pollutants, allowing sediment to settle and pollutants to break down before water is released.