Deck 16: Environmental Law and Business

Question 1

Using old bicycle innertubes for wallets is an instance of social sustainability.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: Upcycling is the process of using waste materials to provide new products. For example, using old bicycle innertubes for wallets, old wooden pallets for lawn furniture, and backpacks made of juice boxes.

Question 2

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is headed by an administrator who is appointed by the President of the United States.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is headed by an administrator who is appointed by the President of the United States.

Question 3

The National Environmental Policy:

A) established the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies.
B) established the broad national framework for protecting the environment.
C) is invoked for state government, private government, and local government actions.
D) is the federal agency that is responsible for protecting the natural environment.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was one of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting the environment. NEPA's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

Question 4

The U.S. government has created the Environmental Protection Agency to guide businesses in the right direction with regards to the environment.

Question 5

A sustainable business refers to any business that participates in environmentally friendly processes, products, or activities that address environmental concerns while maintaining a profit.

Question 6

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act governs medical wastes that contain mercury or other toxic substances, while medical wastes containing radioactive isotopes or materials is covered by the National Response Center.

Question 7

The Environmental Protection Agency through the Clean Air Act establishes maximum permissible pollution emissions.

Question 8

A threatened species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Question 9

The Endangered Species Act (ESP) is administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Question 10

If an Environmental Assessment is required, the responsible agency must publish a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register, indicating intent to prepare a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and the date and place of any scoping meeting.

Question 11

The National Environmental Policy Act establishes a process that federal agencies must follow in making decisions that have the potential to have a significant impact on the environment. The process requires the agency to:

A) outline the policies and management system.
B) report on orational performance and sustainability overview.
C) identify and analyze environmental consequences of proposed action.
D) identify the key indicators.

Question 12

The National Environmental Policy Act's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

Question 13

The U.S. government is charged with protecting the environment and has created the _____ to guide businesses in the right direction.

A) Environment Protection Agency
B) National Environmental Policy Act
C) Council on Environmental Quality
D) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies

Question 14

The requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act are invoked under which of the following circumstances?

A) When the doctrine of riparian right is involved
B) When conservation of a threatened species is involved
C) When federal funding is involved
D) When a state government action is involved

Question 15

Because local, state, and federal efforts with respect to the environment can be undermined by pollutants from other nations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Building Council has entered into many agreements with the governments of other nations.

Question 16

Acid rain, also called acid deposition, refers to a mixture of wet and dry deposited material from the atmosphere that contains higher than normal amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x).

Question 17

An executive order is an order issued by the president or governor implementing a statute or governing operations of executive agencies.

Question 18

The Clean Water Act is implemented and enforced largely by state agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Question 19

Under U.S. common law, anyone who owns land adjacent to navigable water also owns property under the water. This doctrine is called littoral rights.

Question 20

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 exclusively deals with generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

Question 21

Which of the following is true regarding the practice of ocean dumping and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act?

A) Ocean dumping refers to ocean incineration and disposal into the seabed and sub-seabed.
B) It deals with transportation of material exclusively from the U.S. for the purpose of ocean dumping.
C) The provisions of this Act are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
D) This Act was enacted in 1978 and is also known as the Ocean Dumping Act.

Question 22

The National Environmental Policy Act established the _____, which is responsible or reporting to the President and Congress on the status of the environment.

A) Environmental Protection Agency
B) National Ambient Air Quality Standard
C) Car Allowance Rebate System
D) Council on Environmental Quality

Question 23

The _____ is the federal agency that is responsible for protecting the natural environment. It headed by an administrator who is appointed by the President of the United States.

A) Army Corps of Engineers
B) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
C) Environmental Protection Agency
D) Clean Air Agency

Question 24

The public gets _____ days to comment, after which the final Environmental Impact Statement is reported upon.

A) 60
B) 45
C) 15
D) 30

Question 25

Which of the following is true regarding an Environmental Assessment (EA)?

A) If an EA is required, the responsible agency must publish a notice of intent in the Federal Register, indicating intent to prepare a draft environmental impact statement.
B) A scoping meeting is mandatory before issuing an EA.
C) The public gets 45 days to comment on an EA after it is reported.
D) It is a public document that serves to provide sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

Question 26

Which of the following is true regarding the Clean Air Act (CAA)?

A) One of the goals of the act is to set and achieve standards in every state in order to address the public health and welfare risks posed by air pollution.
B) It was first amended in 1990.
C) The 1997 amendment to the CAA set technology-based standards for major sources and area sources.
D) It defines an area source as a stationary source or group of stationary sources that emit 10 tons per year or more of a hazardous air pollutant.

Question 27

Which of the following is true regarding the Clean Water Act (CWA)?

A) It authorizes water quality standards for surface waters.
B) It protects the quality of drinking water and its sources.
C) Under the CWA, it is unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a nonpoint source into navigable waters.
D) Under the CWA, the Council on Environmental Quality implements sets the wastewater standards for the industries.

Question 28

In 1997, a group of interested nations negotiated a treaty with the goal of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would not harm the climate. This treaty was known as the:

A) Kyoto Protocol.
B) Montreal Protocol.
C) Hague Protocol.
D) Bonn Protocol.

Question 29

According to the Clean Air Act, a(n) _____ is defined as a stationary source or group of stationary sources that emit 10 tons per year or more of a hazardous air pollutant.

A) major source
B) area source
C) cap source
D) point source

Question 30

Acid rain refers to a mixture of wet and dry deposited material from the atmosphere that contains higher than normal amounts of:

A) carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
B) sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.
C) carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
D) sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Question 31

With reference to the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to issue _____ for minor violations and to assess fines.

A) riparian actions
B) littoral citations
C) administrative citations
D) administrative enforcement actions

Question 32

Which of the following is true regarding the Endangered Species Act?

A) It provides a program exclusively for the conservation of threatened plants and animals and the habitats in which they live.
B) It is administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
C) The NMFS is responsible for terrestrial and freshwater species and migratory birds.
D) The FWS oversees species in marine environments and anadromous fish.

Question 33

Which of the following is true regarding the Safe Drinking Water Act?

A) It was enacted in 1984.
B) It focuses on all waters actually designed for drinking use and not the potential ones.
C) It authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to establish minimum standards to protect tap water.
D) It specifically deals with the protection of surface sources of drinking water.

Question 34

The _____ amendment to the Clean Air Act set technology-based standards for major sources and area sources.

A) 1977
B) 1980
C) 1990
D) 1997

Question 35

If the ownership is of a nonflowing body of water, such as a lake, the doctrine of _____ gives the ownership of underwater property generally to anyone who owns land adjacent to such nonflowing water body.

A) prior appropriation
B) public trust
C) riparian rights
D) littoral rights

Question 36

A(n) _____ is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

A) exploited species
B) jeopardized species
C) endangered species
D) threatened species

Question 37

A _____ is pollution that comes from many sources, such as melting snow that picks up animal waste, leakage from vehicles, and pesticides.

A) spot source
B) nonpoint source
C) point source
D) line source

Question 38

The Environmental Protection Agency:

A) issues executive orders.
B) administers the Endangered Species Act.
C) introduced a concept called designing for the environment.
D) conducts environmental assessment, research, and education.

Question 39

The Clean Air Act establishes criminal penalties for violations, including the possibility of prison terms, and authorizes the _____ to pursue civil suits for injunctions or monetary remedies.

A) Department of Commerce
B) Department of the Interior
C) Green Building Council
D) Environmental Protection Agency

Question 40

Under U.S. common law, anyone who owns land adjacent to navigable water also owns property under the water. This is the doctrine of:

A) public trust.
B) riparian rights.
C) littoral rights.
D) prior appropriation.

Question 41

Which of the following is true regarding the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)?

A) The RCRA exclusively deals with hazardous solid wastes.
B) According to the Act, just because a property once contained a hazardous waste product does not mean that the property is forever useless.
C) According to the Act, all waste that is hazardous is solid.
D) The Act was enacted after medical waste washed up on the shores and beaches in New York and New Jersey.

Question 42

Because local, state, and federal efforts with respect to the environment can be undermined by pollutants from other nations, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency's _____ has entered into many agreements with the governments of other nations.

A) Office of International Affairs
B) Environmental Management Office
C) Council for Environmentally Responsible Economies
D) Green Building Council

Question 43

The _____ of 1976 gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to control hazardous waste from "cradle-to-grave."

A) Medical Waste Trafficking Act
B) Toxic Substances Control Act
C) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
D) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Question 44

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act:

A) gave the Council on Environmental Quality power to seek out the parties responsible for any waste release and assure their cooperation in the cleanup.
B) was enacted in 1990.
C) is also known as the Superfund and provides a fund of money to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites as well as accidents and spills.
D) is proactive in nature.

Question 45

Which of the following is true regarding the Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)?

A) The modern SRI movement began when pictures of napalmed victims, skin in flames, in Vietnam generated outrage against Dow Chemical.
B) SRI is a recent concept.
C) This form of investing favors corporations that promote environmentally aware practices, consumer protection, human rights, and diversity.
D) All socially responsible investors avoid businesses involved in alcohol, tobacco, gambling, weapons, the military and/or abortion.

Question 46

Which of the following is true regarding the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?

A) It was enacted in 1986.
B) It provides the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) with authority to require reporting, record-keeping, testing, and restrictions relating to chemical substances.
C) It requires manufacturers of new chemical substances to notify the CEQ before manufacturer allows testing of risky chemicals.
D) It addresses the production, importation, use, and disposal of specific chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, radon, and lead-based paint.

Question 47

Sustainability is a three-legged stool which comprises of:

A) people, planet, and partners.
B) people, planet, and projects.
C) people, planet, and profit.
D) people, planet, and product.

Question 48

Which of the following is true regarding noise pollution?

A) Noise is strictly an urban problem.
B) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still enforces noise abatement through the Clean Air Act.
C) The EPA's role currently is to investigate and study noise and its effects and to evaluate the effectiveness of noise on the public's health and welfare.
D) The Federal Aviation Administration is yet to have procedures to respond to the public about aircraft noise questions or complaints within the U.S.

Question 49

Using old bicycle innertubes for wallets, old wooden pallets for lawn furniture, and backpacks made of juice boxes are examples of:

A) appropriating.
B) upcycling.
C) scoping.
D) capping.

Question 50

The _____ is a coalition of investors, environmental groups, and social policy advocates that was launched in 1997 to promote global guidelines for enterprise-level sustainability reports.

A) Green Building Council
B) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
C) Environment Management System
D) Global Reporting Initiative

Question 51

The _____, formerly the Valdez Principles, is the worldwide leader in standardized corporate environmental reporting within firms.

A) Green Building Council
B) Investor Network on Climate Risk
C) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
D) Global Reporting Initiative

Question 52

Which of the following is true regarding the State Environmental Laws?

A) At present, state law preempts federal legislation in certain areas.
B) The Clean Air Act (CAA) delegates responsibility for its enforcement and implementation to the states, including motor vehicle emissions and aircraft emissions.
C) The bulk of the CAA dealing with controlling air emissions from stationary sources is left to the states, upon approval of the Council on Environmental Quality.
D) Under the Clean Water Act, states require their point sources to obtain permits from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question 53

Which of the following is true regarding the Medical Waste Tracking Act (MWTA)?

A) The National Response Center governs the waste that contains mercury or other toxic substances.
B) The Act was enacted in 1978.
C) The MWTA requires segregation of the waste at the generator site and tracking of the waste through to the disposal facility.
D) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act governs the waste containing radioactive isotopes or materials.

Question 54

The concept of _____ requires businesses to consider the potential environmental impact of a product and the process used to make that product.

A) designing for the environment
B) upcycling
C) social sustainability
D) superfunding

Question 55

Which of the following is true regarding the State Environmental Laws?

A) Under federal preemption rules, even where the federal law does not occupy the entire field, a state law on the same topic is still preempted if the state law conflicts.
B) The Safe Drinking Water Act authorizes states to implement and enforce its provisions subject to Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) approval of each state's program.
C) The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act continues the approach of requiring state plans subject to CEQ's approval in the area of solid waste regulation.
D) States are not free to issue more stringent controls than the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Question 56

Sustainable business practices can include:

A) designing for the environment which is the process of using waste materials to provide new products.
B) recycling waste and using alternative (to fossil fuels) energy sources, such as solar power.
C) upcycling which means an organization gives back to the community through employee volunteering.
D) social sustainability which requires businesses to consider the potential environmental impact of a product and the process used to make that product.

Question 57

The internationally recognized certification system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is developed by the U.S.:

A) Department of the Interior.
B) Green Building Council.
C) Environmental Protection Agency.
D) Council on Environmental Quality.

Question 58

An organization that gives back to the community through employee volunteering or through charitable donations is said to be:

A) upcycling.
B) designing for the environment.
C) superfunding.
D) socially sustainable.

Question 59

When can the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act be invoked?

Question 60

Executive Order _____, dated April 22, 2000, required federal facilities covered by environmental regulations to implement Environmental Management Systems by specific deadlines, with final implementation by 2005.

A) 13423
B) 13148
C) 12898
D) 11514

Question 61

What is an environmental impact statement?

Question 62

Mention some of the doctrines and principles that address the issue of ownership of water.

Question 63

Write a few lines on the Clean Air Act?

Question 64

List some of the concepts associated with sustainable business practices?

Question 65

Write a few lines on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Question 66

What are executive orders? Give example of an executive order which addresses environmental concern.

Question 67

What is the Global Reporting Initiative?

Question 68

What is acid rain and how is the acid rain program trying to curb it?

Question 69

What do you understand by Superfund?

Question 70

Differentiate between an endangered species and a threatened species.

Question 71

Write a few lines on the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question 72

What do you understand by "mitigation measures?"

Question 73

What are the functions of the Clean Water Act?

Question 74

Give brief information on the Toxic Substances Control Act?

Question 75

List five Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.