Deck 16: Federal Policy on Toxic and Hazardous Substances

Question 1

When the economics of pest resistance is examined, it becomes clear that

A) those who are attempting to eliminate pests will overuse pesticides and contribute to pests becoming resistant.
B) those who are attempting to eliminate pests will be incentivized to use the socially efficient amount of pesticide.
C) those who are attempting to eliminate pests will be incentivized to underuse pesticides because the elimination of pests is a public good.
D) those who are regulating pest elimination are interested in increasing resistance to pesticides in the target population.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the decision of whether or not to regulate a chemical, the question of which party has the responsibility of providing information to decide a chemical's safety level is called the

A) toxic substances control act.
B) burden of proof.
C) 'catch 22'.
D) balancing decision.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Recent technological change in chemicals has led to the development of chemicals that involves the production and use of substances using extremely small particles called

A) radioactive waste.
B) nanotechnology.
C) ubiquitous.
D) chlorofluorocarbons.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The policy environment governing hazardous and toxic substances is

A) the sole responsibility of the EPA.
B) subject to federal laws, state laws, and local public agency advocacy and public opinion.
C) straightforward with a long and consistent history and precedent.
D) not overseen by the EPA because most toxic substances are not released to the natural environment.

Question 5

If acceptable levels of exposure to chemicals were determined by 'balancing', regulators would attempt to

A) balance the demand for chemicals with the supply of chemicals.
B) balance the price of chemicals with the cost of producing chemicals.
C) balance the costs of controlling the chemicals with the damages that the chemicals caused.
D) all of the above.

Question 6

Many object to the balancing approach for regulating chemicals because

A) scientific results are often too weak to show benefits and costs clearly.
B) matters of life and death are moral issues, and should be treated as such.
C) politicians, not economists, should determine the values that society places on outcomes.
D) all of the above.

Question 7

The primary regulatory approach to regulating toxic emissions has been to use technology-based effluent standards. All of the following are technology-based effluent standards except

A) Best Available Technology (BAT).
B) Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).
C) Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT).
D) Most Often Applied Technology (MOAT).

Question 8

Refer to the figure above. In the graph above, the vertical axis (Axis) would be labeled

A) $.
B) time or distance.
C) units of reduced health risk.
D) abatement units (metric tons, dissolved oxygen, parts per million).

Question 9

Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring (1962), documented ecosystem damage caused by

A) the experiences of Love Canal, where homes were exposed to hazardous waste.
B) a chemical spill in the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia.
C) the chemical spill in Bhopal, India.
D) DDT, a popular pesticide.

Question 10

Each of the following is a primary domestic pollution control statute for toxic emissions in the US except

A) Clean Air Act (amended 1970, 1977, 1990).
B) Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (1986).
C) Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS) (2001).
D) Safe Drinking Water Act (amended 1986, 1996).

Question 11

Refer to the figure above. In the graph above, Curve B would be labeled

A) Marginal Control Costs (of reducing the levels of exposure).
B) Marginal Benefits (of higher or lower health risks when exposure changes).
C) Marginal Demand Curve (for reduced health risks).
D) Marginal Willingness to Pay Curve (for reduced health risks).

Question 12

Trying to reduce the amounts of hazardous material that need disposal by either recycling residuals, or by shifting technologies and operations so that the amount of residuals generated by firms is reduced is known as ________.

A) waste reduction
B) recycling
C) chemical treatment
D) CERCLA

Question 13

Refer to the figure above. In the graph above, Curve A would be labeled

A) Marginal Control Costs (of reducing the levels of exposure).
B) Marginal Benefits (of higher or lower health risks when exposure changes).
C) Marginal Demand Curve (for reduced health risks).
D) Marginal Willingness to Pay Curve (for reduced health risks).

Question 14

Refer to the figure above. The marginal damages curve slopes upward because

A) higher risks are associated with higher marginal damages, such as negative health effects.
B) the cost of controlling damages increases as the risk of exposure increases.
C) total damages increase as the risk of exposure increase.
D) the technology used to control the damages varies along the curve.

Question 15

TSCA differentiates between _______ and _________ chemicals, regulating the latter more stringently than the former.

A) solid; liquid
B) metal based; non metal based
C) existing; new
D) industrial; household

Question 16

Hazardous and toxic materials have characteristics that present unique challenges for monitoring and control, such as

A) they are found everywhere in the modern economy.
B) the sheer number of them leads to difficulty in being informed about the levels of danger.
C) the quantity used can be very small, leading to difficulty in monitoring.
D) all of the above.

Question 17

Refer to the figure above. MC1 represents marginal costs for firm 1, while MC2 represents marginal costs for firms 2. If a common standard for workplace exposure were set at r₁

A) Firm 2 experiences efficient control and Firm 1 experiences a risk that is too low.
B) Firm 1 experiences efficient control and Firm 2 experiences a risk that is too low.
C) Firm 1 experiences efficient control and Firm 2 experiences a risk that is too high.
D) Firm 1 experiences a risk that is too high and Firm 2 experiences efficient control of risk.

Question 18

When the precautionary principle is introduced into the regulation of chemicals it

A) introduces caution into public decisions where substantial damages may be unknown.
B) re-examines where the burden of proof should lie.
C) scrutinizes serious threats that involve irreversible damage regardless of scientific certainty.
D) all of the above.

Question 19

Policy makers have begun to regulate toxic emissions by 'moving back up the line' and encouraging waste reduction. All of the following are effective incentives to encourage waste reduction except

A) emissions charges.
B) deposit refund systems.
C) increasing transparency about the release of toxic materials.
D) regulations that dictate particular technology choices for firms using toxic substances.

Question 20

Refer to the figure above. If the labor market works efficiently and workplace standards are managed such that each firm manages risk individually (there is not a set standard) then

A) the wages in high exposure jobs will be lower than those high exposure risk jobs.
B) the wages in high and low risk jobs will be equal, which is inefficient.
C) the wages in low exposure risk jobs will be higher than those in high exposure risk jobs.
D) the labor. market will compensate workers experiencing higher risk with higher wages.

Question 21

Hazardous waste generation in the US

A) is spread fairly evenly across the states.
B) is concentrated in the industrial Midwest.
C) is concentrated in oil and gas producing states (Alaska, Texas, the Dakotas).
D) is not spread evenly throughout the United States.

Question 22

Nanomaterials present a potential environmental challenge because

A) the Clean Air Act may not apply to nanomaterials
B) risks are uncertain
C) external costs may be overlooked
D) all of above

Question 23

The reason that increasing the price of waste disposal is often an ineffective way to reduce hazardous waste is

A) competition in the waste removal industry keeps prices below effective incentive levels.
B) hazardous waste is often not subject to disposal as it never leaves the firm premises.
C) hazardous waste removal firms are not subject to regulations.
D) firms are unmotivated by disposal charges and do not search for ways to reduce the quantities of waste requiring disposal.

Question 24

The establishment of Brownfields sites

A) encourages developers to consider theses sites by relaxing potential liability associated with previous contamination.
B) allows for funding assistance to assess or ameliorate contamination problems on the site.
C) distinguishes the difference between Superfund sites and sites where light to moderate. contamination is suspected or confirmed.
D) all of the above.

Question 25

As a part of the National Contingency Plan (NCP), the National Priorities Plan (NPL) is a state-federal effort to earmark a list of ranked sites for clean-up that has experienced hazardous pollution. The priorities are established by taking into account

A) types of hazardous material at the site.
B) quantities of hazardous materials at the site.
C) the possibility of human exposure to the site and the materials.
D) all of the above.

Question 26

The major US law that has established a liability provision for past damages done to U.S. natural resources is

A) the National Contingency Plan (NCP).
B) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
C) the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
D) the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act.

Question 27

One way to improve management of toxics is

A) to emphasize waste reduction
B) to avoid impact of materials substitution
C) to reduce command-and-control measures
D) to set a time limit for liability lawsuits

Question 28

In the United States, there are more than _____ sites where massively contaminated soil, water, structures, and equipment pose serious health threats to nearby people and ecosystems.

A) 100
B) 200
C) 300
D) 500

Question 29

In managing the regulation of hazardous waste, federal policy has been aimed at two problems

A) storage of current wastes and transportation of current wastes.
B) clean up of previous disposal sites; and storage, transportation and disposal of current wastes.
C) transportation and disposal of current wastes and clean-up of previous disposal sites.
D) transportation and disposal of current wastes; and clean-up of current storage sites.

Question 30

Environmental justice is

A) a particular way of examining the distributional effects of pollution and contamination.
B) a program to compensate minorities and the poor for exposure to environmental hazards.
C) part of CERCLA legislation that holds polluters responsible for natural resource damages.
D) a specific bill associated with the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act that allows citizens to sue industrial polluters on behalf of the government.

Question 31

In response to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980,

A) almost every state now has an active LLW disposal site.
B) interstate compacts exist between most states.
C) ten interstate compacts have formed.
D) all wastes are disposed in approved lands.

Question 32

Hazardous waste policy is overseen by

A) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) solely
B) the Department of Transportation (DOT) solely
C) the EPA and the DOT
D) the EPA, the DOT, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the states

Question 33

The 2016 Lautenberg Act

A) requires risk analysis.
B) mandates testing of existing chemicals.
C) tightens TSCA.
D) all of the above.

Question 34

The primary approach to regulating toxic emissions is

A) Total maximum daily load (TMDL)
B) Technology based effluent standards (TBES)
C) to provide subsidies to substitute natural, organic products
D) to institute a cap and trade program

Question 35

A 2005 EPA survey reveals that the majority of hazardous waste is disposed of through

A) burning.
B) injection wells.
C) recovery during recycling operations.
D) off-site disposal facilities.

Question 36

A reduction in spending by the EPA to clean-up Superfund sites (CERCLA)

A) fits because Superfund sites are a low-budget item
B) will not affect the housing market around Superfund sites
C) is an environmental justice issue
D) reduces the liability for responsible parties