Environmental Compliance Inspector Environmental Compliance Inspector Regulations & Legislation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Clean Water Act Section 402, what type of permit is required for point source discharges of pollutants into waters of the United States?
- NPDES permit (Correct answer)
- RCRA permit
- CERCLA permit
- TSCA permit
Correct answer: NPDES permit
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under CWA Section 402 controls point source discharges into U.S. waters.
Question 2: Which federal regulation establishes the framework for managing hazardous waste from generation to disposal, often called 'cradle to grave'?
- Clean Air Act
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (Correct answer)
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
Correct answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
RCRA Subtitle C creates the cradle-to-grave hazardous waste management system covering generators, transporters, and treatment/storage/disposal facilities.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report under EPCRA Section 313?
- To obtain a discharge permit
- To publicly disclose chemical releases from facilities (Correct answer)
- To apply for environmental cleanup funding
- To register new chemical substances
Correct answer: To publicly disclose chemical releases from facilities
TRI reporting under EPCRA Section 313 requires facilities to publicly report releases of listed toxic chemicals to promote community awareness.
Question 4: Under CERCLA, what legal standard of liability applies to potentially responsible parties at Superfund sites?
- Negligence-based liability
- Strict, joint and several liability (Correct answer)
- Contributory liability only
- Liability requiring criminal intent
Correct answer: Strict, joint and several liability
CERCLA imposes strict, joint and several liability, meaning any single responsible party can be held liable for the entire cost of cleanup regardless of fault.
Question 5: Which Clean Air Act program requires major sources of air pollution to obtain permits that consolidate all applicable air quality requirements?
- New Source Performance Standards
- Title V Operating Permit Program (Correct answer)
- Prevention of Significant Deterioration
- Acid Rain Program
Correct answer: Title V Operating Permit Program
The Title V Operating Permit Program requires major sources to hold a single permit incorporating all applicable Clean Air Act requirements.
Question 6: Under RCRA, what is the maximum accumulation time allowed for large quantity generators (LQGs) of hazardous waste before they must ship it to a permitted facility?
- 30 days
- 90 days (Correct answer)
- 180 days
- 270 days
Correct answer: 90 days
Large quantity generators may accumulate hazardous waste on-site for up to 90 days without a storage permit under 40 CFR 262.17.
