Deck 18: Environmental Policy

Question 1

State and local governments have taken on greater responsibility for financing and operating environmental protection programs utilizing innovative policies. Which of the policies below is one of those?

A)One-quarter of all states requires utilities to use renewable sources for some of their power generation .
B)California mandates the use of water-efficient washing machines.
C)Washington grants homeowners and small businesses tax credits if they install or use solar- or wind-generated electricity.
D)All of these choices.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The more than 700 million acres of public lands comprise almost one-third of the continental United States. Therefore,

A)the states and local governments have never had much interest in their management as too many interests were involved.
B)the states, particularly those in the West, have consistently sought a much greater voice in deciding how their resources are to be used.
C)the eastern states, in a movement known as the Sagebrush Rebellion, sought dual ownership of these lands for their mineral rights.
D)nonnational governments find them of little economic consequence, aside from their scenic value tourist attractions.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Some states have earned reputations as being more committed to environmental protection. Among the most highly rated are

A)Alabama, Indiana, and West Virginia.
B)Vermont, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota.
C)Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.
D)Texas, Florida, Rhode Island, and Idaho.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Partial pre-emption is an approach common to federal environmental laws that

A)requires states to adopt and apply their own environmental standards.
B)requires states to apply federal environmental standards.
C)requires states to adopt environmental standards but relies on federal implementation of the standards.
D)requires nothing of the states.

Question 5

Government's role in environmental policy is generally seen to be

A)constantly balancing the trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection in a now very global economy where many goods are produced in countries with far less environmental protections.
B)protecting the environment at any cost, even if it forces companies into bankruptcy.
C)one of protecting the economy at any cost.
D)letting the international marketplace ultimately determine what level of protection can be economically viable.

Question 6

States have actually exceeded federal environmental rules for all of the following reasons  except

A)The political strength of 'green' interest groups
B)supportive public opinion for tougher environmental standards
C)the lobbying power of state Chanbers of Commerce and other business interests
D)the ability to convert a pro-environment political climate into legislative action

Question 7

A policy to deal with carbon emissions that sets an allowable level and then permits power plants to buy and sell the right to pollute is commonly called

A)emission regulation.
B)partial pre-emption.
C)cap and trade.
D)race to the bottom.

Question 8

An important factor in the history of water pollution control is that

A)the nonnational governments were without jurisdiction in controlling polluters within their boundaries.
B)the national government pre-empted state-local roles when society recognized the effects of polluted water on neighboring jurisdictions.
C)the nonnational governments were anxious for federal involvement.
D)such control was a traditional role for the national government from the earliest days of the nation.

Question 9

Recycling of solid wastes is

A)now supported by recycling programs in many states, but it is sometimes thwarted by the shortage of markets for recycled paper, aluminum cans, plastics, and other materials-especially in a recessionary economy.
B)a money-making proposition for all communities that have begun the process.
C)fully accepted by the public, but it has yet to be mandated by more than six states.
D)a promising technology, and about 80 percent of the nation's trash is handled in this manner.

Question 10

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)is

A)a new way for energy companies to swap inventories to reduce costs.
B)a cap-and-trade program that sets an allowable level of emissions and permits power plants to buy and sell the right to pollute.
C)an opportunity for electric power companies to eliminate any liability they have to produce cleaner, low-cost electricity.
D)discourages the use of wind turbines to produce electric power.

Question 11

The Environmental Protection Agency, the leading federal agency for environmental policy,

A)is an independent regulatory body created in 1970.
B)is housed within the department of interior and was created in 1955.
C)is a cabinet-level office created in 1955.
D)has never enforced environmental regulations and is solely a symbolic agency.

Question 12

The federal Resource and Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA)provides that

A)the national government will operate the hazardous waste program with only minimal state involvement.
B)once a state meets minimum EPA standards and possesses the necessary enforcement capability, the state may operate its own hazardous waste program. Unfortunately, only Wyoming has met the standards.
C)once a state meets minimum EPA standards and possesses the necessary enforcement capability, the state may operate its own hazardous waste program. Only Alaska and several other states had met the standards by 2002.
D)once a state meets minimum EPA standards and possesses the necessary enforcement capability, the state may operate its own hazardous waste program.

Question 13

NIMTOO is an acronym that refers to

A)low-level, transuranic waste sites operated by PIMBY, an international hazardous waste management corporation.
B)the desire of politicians to avoid accepting unwanted land uses while they are in office.
C)the public desire to keep an unwanted facility out of a neighborhood.
D)a willingness to accept what others do not want, usually because of the economic benefits are too enticing or necessary.

Question 14

Some disadvantages of burning trash in waste-to-energy plants are that

A)it reduces volume by about 10 percent and it also pollutes the air.
B)the resulting smoke dissipates rapidly with few harmful particulates, but it also offers no opportunity for cogeneration due to the presence of plastics and metal.
C)only about 13 percent of solid waste is handled in this manner, the cost of building incinerators is expensive, and incinerators must meet much higher air quality standards than in the past.
D)it has proven to be not very valuable for cogeneration of electricity and it only reduces the volume of the yard waste involved.

Question 15

If Nebraska was to engage in relaxing regulations, lowering taxes, or reducing benefits to gain an advantage over competing states such as Kansas or Colorado who are engaging in the same activity, it is said to be participating in

A)economic sanctioning.
B)NIMBY.
C)a race to the bottom.
D)an environmental self-audit.

Question 16

Some states have passed laws to make it easier to redevelop abandoned industrial sites with real or perceived environmental contamination. Such sites are referred to as

A)greenfields.
B)brownfields.
C)NIMTOOs.
D)landfills.

Question 17

Too much regulation of business and industry to protect the environment can

A)attract new and cleaner industry with many high-paying jobs.
B)force many companies to close or layoff workers as the cost for compliance is too high given foreign competition.
C)drive many firms to change those operations that generate pollutants and to invest in new technologies and staff training to implement green technology.
D)result in significant efforts to meet the government's environmental standards.

Question 18

Without government regulation or incentives, most firms that produce pollutants as a byproduct of their manufacturing process will usually

A)maximize profit, but are willing to spend money to ensure that the byproducts more than meet existing government standards.
B)look for innovative production processes that reduce the amount and toxicity of the byproducts.
C)consider the public good and be satisfied with reduced profits.
D)tend to maximize profit by reducing production costs-including the costs of environmental protection.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a problem that the EPA faces?

A)having more federal funding than what it needs to carry out its responsibilities
B)conflict with other federal agencies, powerful private interests, and state and local governments
C)having to carry out Congressional acts that set unattainable program goals
D)Litigation from regulated industries and environmental groups

Question 20

The purpose of the Superfund is to

A)provide money to local governments to clean up abandoned, low-level nuclear waste sites.
B)allow the national government to intervene, clean up dangerous hazardous waste sites, and recover costs from responsible parties.
C)provide money for cradle-to-grave tracking of hazardous wastes.
D)create federally operated waste sites for the safe disposal of hazardous material.

Question 21

The process in which a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is injected at high pressure into the ground to break up dense rock and release natural gas is known as

A)hydraulic fracturing.
B)water dilution.
C)vertical drilling.
D)LLWs.

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of environmental injustice?

A)Redeveloping a brownfield in an upscale neighborhood
B)Vandalizing a ski resort in order to prevent further development of public lands
C)An 85-mile strip along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that has more than 100 polluting industries and the households in harm's way are disproportionately minority and low-income
D)Enforcing EPA standards on states that do not agree with the standards

Question 23

Support among the public for protecting the environment remains fairly strong, with 50 percent of the public ranking environmental protection over economic growth.

Question 24

Hydraulic Fracturing is

A)a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is injected at high pressure into the ground to break up dense rock and release natural gas.
B)Using sand to blast mineral deposits to make the water within unusable.
C)using water to fracture mountains.
D)Another way to drill for oil.

Question 25

The use of interstate compacts to handle low-level nuclear waste disposal has progressed to the point where

A)Congress considered, but failed to adopt, legislation to guide such efforts in 1998.
B)all states now have some arrangement with other states to legally dispose of these wastes.
C)ten compacts exist and only six states remain unaligned.
D)four states remain outside compacts, but all 50 states have minor problems with the issue because many produce little low-level waste.

Question 26

Ninety percent of the hazardous waste in the United States is generated by these industries: chemical and allied products, primary metals, petroleum and coal products, fabricated metal products, and rubber and plastic products.

Question 27

Which of the following factors influence the location of polluting facilities?

A)Scientific rationality
B)Market forces
C)Political power
D)All of these choices.

Question 28

California is generally looked to by other states as the strongest leader in adopting air pollution control and water conservation laws and regulations.

Question 29

The acronym NIMBY stands for "not in my backyard."

Question 30

According to one study mentioned in the text that provided so-called green rankings, among the least environmentally friendly states are Maine, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

Question 31

Approximately one-third of the nation's solid waste is recycled, with higher rates of recycling in states that offer comprehensive curbside recycling programs and impose unit charges for refuse disposal.

Question 32

A major problem for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)is the tendency of Congress to pass environmental legislation that set unattainable program goals and unrealistic implementation dates.

Question 33

Government's role is to balance economic growth with environmental protection by regulating polluters in a sustainable manner.

Question 34

Although environmental policy choices are made especially difficult by their economic implications, the control of pollution is not a significant economic cost for many firms today.

Question 35

The federal government is extensively involved in environmental policy, but so are states and local governments.

Question 36

Inherent in environmental protection policy is a perceived trade-off between trying to provide a cleaner and safer environment for the future while not damaging the economy.

Question 37

The first statutory step into the area of environmental policy was the Clean Air Act of 1963.

Question 38

Environmental policy in the United States is characterized by three features: its intergovernmental nature, its regulatory focus, and (lately)its innovative design. The federal government is extensively involved in environmental policy, as are states and localities.

Question 39

The states with the greenest environmental policies tend to be found in the coastal west or the northeastern parts of the United States.

Question 40

About one-third (33 percent)of the nation's solid waste is now being recycled or composted.

Question 41

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 made states responsible for managing low-level waste and led to the formation of a number of interstate compacts among the states to manage the waste.

Question 42

Hydraulic Fracturing (aka 'Fracking')has become more popular than ever as a job producer, giving the United States undisputed oil and gas preeminence worldwide.

Question 43

More than thirty states have taken some form of policy action against polluting facilities in their states.

Question 44

Polluting facilities are located where they are because, in part, they are taking market factors into consideration.

Question 45

Explain the dilemma posed by efforts to solve environmental problems, ensure sufficient energy to meet the public's needs, and ensure jobs and economic growth, which now must include international economic and environmental factors in the equation.

Question 46

Some studies are finding race-based discrimination as to where polluting facilities are located.

Question 47

In 2015, the EPA released a report that did not connect hydraulic fracturing to widespread, systemic pollution of drinking water.

Question 48

Why has public opinion on the trade-off between environmental protection and economic expansion changed over the last several years? If you were an advisor for an environmental advocacy group, how might you try to change public opinion? What constraints might you face in doing so?

Question 49

The U. S. Supreme Court ruled in a 1992 case involving Alabama that it did not violate the interstate commerce clause for a state to impose a surcharge on the disposal of hazardous waste in Alabama shipped from another state.

Question 50

The concept of environmental justice refers to allegations that poor and minority communities suffer disproportionate exposure to environmental health risks.

Question 51

Hydraulic fracturing has become an important policy issue in the states. Describe the environmental, economic, and political issues involved in this new technique for energy extraction. If you were the governor, what policy would you propose to deal with this new issue and why?

Question 52

As so many of the nation's environmental policies are set at the federal level of government, briefly describe the environmental policies and priorities of presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. What actions did thee presidents take to promote or discourage environmental protection? How does federal commitment to environmental protection affect the states? What is the record of President Barack Obama on environmental concerns that affect the states?

Question 53

In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act-better known as Superfund-to manage and obtain funding for the clean up of sites contaminated by oil and hazardous wastes.

Question 54

Until 2009, the federal government planned to bury high-level nuclear waste, which retains its toxicity for hundreds of thousands of years, at an isolated spot 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas known as Yucca Mountain. Despite a campaign promise to halt Yucca Mountain, President Obama has gone forward with that project with the approval of Congress.

Question 55

What are the problems that have given rise to concerns for environmental justice? In your opinion, are those concerns justified? Who pays for the remediation of these contaminants? Incorporate into your answer the concepts of environmental justice and the public interest.