Deck 17: State and Local Environmental Issues

Question 1

In order to address the non-degradation dilemma,amendments to the U.S.HYPERLINK "" Clean Air Act enacted stricter technology-based emission standards for non-attainment areas than for "prevention of serious deterioration" (PSD)areas.
PSD areas have stricter regulations to maintain the higher existing air quality in these areas in order to avoid the non-degradation dilemma.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The phrase "the solution to pollution is dilution" best describes the Ontario government's policy to ________.

A)lobby the U.S.government to reduce emissions of SO₂
B)reduce transboundary smog
C)require Inco to lengthen the height of the stack on its smelter
D)cut SO₂ emissions by 50 percent

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Because the Canadian Ambient Air Quality standards are ________,they will not be efficient unless ________ in all regions.

A)uniform;MAC = MDC
B)uniform;TAC = TDC
C)individual standards;MAC = MDC
D)individual standards;TAC = TDC

Answer 3

A

Question 4

List the four policy issues that arise from Canada's regulation of air contaminants.

Question 5

Acid rain was a challenging transboundary issue for Canada and the United States to tackle because ________.

A)scientific information about damages took time to be established
B)the distribution of benefits and costs of reducing SO₂ emissions were unequal across and within the jurisdictions
C)many levels of government were involved
D)all of the choices are correct

Question 6

The ________ is an agreement between Canada and the United States to reduce ________.

A)Ozone Annex;transboundary smog
B)Ozone Annex;acid rain
C)Clean Air Act;transboundary smog
D)Clean Air Act;acid rain

Question 7

Discuss how the shortcomings of using mandatory emission testing programs like Drive Clean to reduce emissions could be improved.

Question 8

The argument that the marginal abatement costs of existing plants are higher than those of new plants used as a justification for more restrictive emission standards for the former than for the latter is known as ________.

A)cost-effectiveness
B)new-source bias
C)old-source bias
D)the non-degradation dilemma

Question 9

Governments may inadvertently slow up the rate of adoption of new pollution-abatement technologies through the use of new-source bias in the setting of emission standards.

Question 10

The widespread use of technology-based emission standards to control air pollution ensures that the aggregate marginal abatement cost function is as low as is technically possible.
Because TBS are not cost-effective,the aggregate marginal abatement cost function is much higher than it need be,and society is settling for smaller improvements in ambient quality than might be achieved if control programs were incentive-based and cost-effective.

Question 11

Explain how an incentive-based policy helped to phase out the use of leaded gasoline in Canada.

Question 12

Under the ________,________ is to design the program for managing air quality in Canada,and then turn the monitoring,enforcement,and reporting operations of the program over to the provinces and territories.

A)National Ambient Air Quality Objectives;the CCME
B)Air Quality Management System;the CCME
C)Clean Air Act;Environment Canada
D)Air Quality Management System;Environment Canada

Question 13

The Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards are being gradually replaced by National Ambient Air Quality Objectives.
Canada is moving away from non-binding guidelines (NAAQOs)to Canada wide standards (CAAQSs)for air quality.

Question 14

Unlike an emission tax,a fuel tax would provide a direct incentive for drivers to worry about their level of emissions thus creating an incentive to lower them.

Question 15

Describe the Canada-Wide Acid Rain Strategy for Post-2000.

Question 16

List the "Big Five" criteria air contaminants to which Canadians are exposed.

Question 17

Which of the following does the Clean Air Act give the federal government authority to do?

A)conduct a national program of air-pollution surveillance
B)establish air-quality objectives
C)establish regulations and guidelines for air quality
D)all of the choices are correct

Question 18

The federal government regulates emissions from new motor vehicles under the ________ using ________.

A)Clean Air Act;corporate average fuel standards
B)Clean Air Act;a carbon tax
C)Motor Vehicle Safety Act;corporate average fuel standards
D)Motor Vehicle Safety Act;a carbon tax