PCEW flashcards
PCEW · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Title V Permit
- A federally enforceable operating permit required under the Clean Air Act for major stationary sources of air pollution, consolidating all applicable requirements into a single document with monitoring and reporting obligations.
- NPDES Permit
- A Clean Water Act permit authorizing point source discharges of pollutants into waters of the United States, specifying effluent limits, monitoring, and reporting requirements for the discharger.
- Tier II Reporting
- An EPCRA requirement for facilities storing hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities to submit annual inventory reports to state and local emergency planning agencies by March 1.
- Permit Shield
- A Clean Air Act provision protecting a permittee from enforcement for complying with permit terms, but only for requirements explicitly addressed in the permit application.
- Characteristic Hazardous Waste
- Waste that exhibits ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity as defined in RCRA regulations, making it hazardous regardless of whether it appears on a listing.
- Large Quantity Generator
- A hazardous waste generator that generates 1,000 kg or more per month or more than 1 kg of acutely hazardous waste per month, subject to the most stringent requirements.
- Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
- A tracking document (EPA Form 8700-22) that accompanies hazardous waste from the generator through transporters to the treatment, storage, and disposal facility.
- Land Disposal Restrictions
- RCRA requirements that prohibit land disposal of hazardous waste unless it meets specific treatment standards designed to reduce toxicity or mobility before disposal.
- Universal Waste
- A category of hazardous waste (batteries, lamps, mercury devices, pesticides) subject to streamlined handling and recycling requirements under 40 CFR 273.
- Secondary Treatment Standards
- Clean Water Act standards for municipal wastewater requiring 30-day average BOD5 and TSS of 30 mg/L, along with specified percent removal efficiency.
- Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
- A site-specific plan required for certain construction and industrial activities that identifies best management practices, inspection schedules, and recordkeeping to control stormwater discharges.
- Total Maximum Daily Load
- A Clean Water Act calculation of the maximum pollutant loading a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards, allocated among point and nonpoint sources.
- Discharge Monitoring Report
- A periodic report submitted by NPDES permittees documenting monitoring results and compliance with effluent limitations, typically submitted monthly to the permitting authority.
- Prevention of Significant Deterioration
- A Clean Air Act program requiring preconstruction permits for major sources in areas meeting air quality standards, ensuring emissions do not significantly degrade air quality.
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards
- Health-based standards established by EPA for six criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide.
- Continuous Emission Monitoring System
- Instrumentation that continuously measures pollutant concentrations or flow from a stack, subject to quality assurance requirements including relative accuracy test audits.
- Leak Detection and Repair
- A program requiring periodic monitoring of valves, pumps, and connectors at facilities handling volatile organic compounds to detect and repair leaks exceeding specified thresholds.
- Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
- A records-based investigation following ASTM E1527 that identifies recognized environmental conditions at a property through document review, site visit, and interviews.
- Recognized Environmental Condition
- The presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a property due to release or potential release, identified during a Phase I assessment.
- Soil Vapor Extraction
- An in-situ remediation technology that applies vacuum to unsaturated soil to remove volatile organic compounds from the vadose zone through extraction wells.
- Risk Characterization
- The final step of risk assessment that integrates hazard identification, dose-response, and exposure assessment to estimate the likelihood and magnitude of adverse health effects.
- Permissible Exposure Limit
- An enforceable occupational exposure limit established by OSHA, typically expressed as an 8-hour time-weighted average concentration that workers may be exposed to.
- Hazard Communication Standard
- An OSHA regulation requiring chemical manufacturers to evaluate hazards, provide safety data sheets, label containers, and train employees about chemical hazards in the workplace.
- Incident Command System
- A standardized, scalable organizational structure used to manage emergency response operations, defining roles for command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance.
- HAZWOPER
- The OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.120) governing hazardous waste operations and emergency response, specifying training, medical surveillance, and protective equipment requirements.
- Chain of Custody
- A documented record tracking sample possession from collection through laboratory analysis, with each transfer signed and dated to preserve evidentiary integrity.
- Data Quality Objectives
- A systematic planning process that defines the type, quantity, and quality of environmental data needed to support a specific decision or regulatory determination.
- Method Detection Limit
- The minimum concentration of a substance that can be measured and reported with 99 percent confidence that the analyte concentration is greater than zero.
- Holding Time
- The maximum period a sample may be stored before analysis, specified by method and parameter, during which the analyte concentration remains stable under proper preservation.
- Responsible Official Certification
- A signed statement by a designated facility official attesting that a compliance report is true, accurate, and complete, based on personal knowledge or reasonable inquiry.
- Recordkeeping Retention Period
- The required duration for retaining environmental records; for example, hazardous waste manifests generally three years and Title V records five years, unless permits specify longer.
- Confidential Business Information
- A claim that submitted information contains trade secrets or proprietary data qualifying for protection from public disclosure, which must be substantiated per regulatory procedures.