Quiz Topic 15: Energy and the Environment

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - a federal regulatory body - does not regulate which of the following?

Question 1Select one:

a.

Interstate sales of electric power

b.

Self-generated electric power

c.

Wholesale sales of electric power

d.

Transmission of power in interstate commerce

Self-generated electric power

______________________________ is not actually a source of energy. It is a carrier of energy.

Question 2Select one:

a.

Electricity

b.

Natural gas

c.

Oil

d.

Coal

e.

Flowing water

Electricity

Hydraulic Fracturing (known as "fracking"), requires the horizontal drilling through shale to release oil and gas deposits encased therein.  Assuming a particular shale formation extends underneath several tracts of land and a drilling operator wants to get at all of it, what must the drilling operator do to secure legal access to the full extent of the shale?

Question 3Select one:

a.

Must secure a lease from neighboring landowners to cross their subsurface vertical boundary line

b.

Be the first to get an exclusive golden drilling permit from Department of Environmental Quality that supersedes private property rights

c.

Nothing, the right of capture allows free roaming beneath the surface of earth

Must secure a lease from neighboring landowners to cross their subsurface vertical boundary line

Under the Submerged Lands Act of 1953, later called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the laws (i.e. legal jurisdiction) of coastal states extend                     miles from their shorelines.

Question 4Select one:

a.

2

b.

3

c.

4

d.

10

3

Which of the following pollution control statutes regulate generation of electricity from burning coal?

Question 5Select one:

a.

Clean Air Act

b.

Clean Water Act

c.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

d.

All of these

NOT Clean Air Act

All of these?

Which of the following statutes dictates responsibility and clean up in the event of a spill from a coal ash pond?

Question 6Select one:

a.

Clean Water Act

c.

Endangered Species Act

d.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)

NOT Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

NOT Clean water Act

Under current federal law, how is coal ash - the byproduct of burning coal to generate steam to generate electricity - regulated?

Question 7Select one:

a.

As a non-hazardous solid waste under Subtitle D

b.

As a hazardous substance subject to CERCLA

c.

As a hazardous waste under subtitle C of RCRA

d.

a) and b) only

NOT As a non-hazardous solid waste under Subtitle D

a) and b) only?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) - under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 - is the agency in charge of certifying natural gas pipeline routes.  To approve a route, FERC issues a "certificate of public convenience and necessity” to the company proposing to build the pipeline.

Prior to issuing such certificate, FERC must first do what?

Question 8Select one:

a.

coordinate with public land management agencies along the proposed route

b.

consult with the US Fish & Wildlife Service regarding the route's impact on any listed species under the Endangered Species Act

c.

conduct an Environmental Assessment (and an Environmental Impact Statement if necessary) under NEPA

d.

all of these

all of these

If a proposed route for a natural gas pipeline crosses national forest (public land), what must the US Forest Service do before the pipeline can cross through the national forest unit?

Question 9Select one:

a.

issue a right of way (or easement), but only if specifically approved by an act of Congress

b.

issue a right of way (or easement), but only is such right of way and its impact is consistent with the management plan for that particular national forest unit

c.

accept an offer to sell national forest land to the pipeline developer

d.

a pipeline can never traverse a unit of national forest

issue a right of way (or easement), but only if such right of way and its impact are consistent with the management plan for that particular national forest unit

Under various statutes, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) - a sub-agency of the Department of Energy - is responsible for issuing permits for the siting and construction of energy facilities, including pipelines, oil and gas terminals (inland and coastal) for off-load of oil and gas, and electricity generating facilities.  Issuing a federally-required permit is considered a government action.  What legal step must FERC take before issuing a permit?

Question 10Select one:

a.

conduct an Environmental Assessment, and if necessary, an Environmental Impact Statement

b.

Consult with the US Fish & Wildlife Service concerning impact on listed species

c.

Submit project for review by EPA to determine relevant permitting depending on project location and type

d.

All of these

conduct an Environmental Assessment, and if necessary, an Environmental Impact Statement

In North Carolina, the approval and siting of a solar photovoltaic facility requires which below?

Question 11Select one:

a.

Acceptance of the site by the NC Utilities Commission in response to a "request for proposal" process

b.

a local rezoning of the proposed site (if the site is not in a zone that already allows electrical generating activity)

c.

secure a lease from the landowner for the anticipated useful life of the facility

d.

All of these

NOT a local rezoning of the proposed site (if the site is not in a zone that already allows electrical generating activity)

All of these?

As noted on the map below, North Carolina's primary "wind sheds" - areas with high sustained winds suitable for windpower generation - are on the coast and in the mountains.  Which North Carolina law prohibits wind power development in the mountains?

Select one:

a.

The North Carolina Coastal Area Management Act

b.

The Mountain Ridge Protection Act

c.

The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Enabling Act

The Mountain Ridge Protection Act

Under the administration of President Obama, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management - a sub-agency of the Department of Interior) - issued an ocean energy plan restricting oil and gas leasing to the Middle and Western Gulf of Mexico and the Cook Inlet area of Alaska.

In 2017, the administration of President Trump issued a new plan doing what?

Question 13Select one:

a.

confirming President Obama's plan

b.

Opening other ocean areas to oil and gas exploration, including the Mid-Atlantic

c.

authorizing a "first come first served" approach to developing oil in off-shore waters

Opening other ocean areas to oil and gas exploration, including the Mid-Atlantic

The National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program) administered by BOEM produces the plan for leasing offshore waters to private exploration and extraction.  As such, it is considered a government action subject to NEPA and ESA.  Which agency below is the primary agency BOEM must consult with regarding listed fish and finned mammal species?

Question 14Select one:

a.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

b.

Bureau of Land Management

c.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)