Deck 11: Environmental Crime

Question 1

The allegations against the British Petroleum company (BP) after their major oil spill in 2010 were for what type of crime?

A) environmental crime
B) environmental negligence crime
C) environmental safety crime
D) environmental white-collar crime

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Why were the 1970s labeled the "environment decade?"

A) Hundreds of new laws were passed to protect the environment.
B) Pollution was slowly increasing throughout the decade.
C) Many groups began to speak out against pollution.
D) Public concern about pollution was at an all-time low.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a white-collar environmental crime?

A) driving fast on the way to work, releasing higher amounts of pollution than normal
B) littering while driving a company car
C) disposing of production materials in an unauthorized site
D) dumping your old refrigerator on the side of a road

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Disposing of old products such as old tires, automobile parts, and different kinds of waste (e.g., landscaping or construction waste) in sites that are not designated for that purpose is which type of environmental white-collar crime?

A) Illegal emissions
B) Illegal disposal of hazardous wastes
C) Illegal dumping
D) Illegal consumption

Question 5

Under the 'sin tax' what are companies allowed to do with pollutants?

A) release pollutants into the air
B) not disclose incidents of pollution being released
C) not cover the costs of their pollution
D) face criminal charges

Question 6

How are cases of illegal disposal of hazardous wastes usually brought to the attention of the authorities?

A) anonymous tips
B) policing efforts
C) rival companies report misconduct
D) by mistake

Question 7

What does the "cradle to the grave" provision of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act refer to?

A) The means through which companies can dispose of waste.
B) Legal places in which companies can dispose of waste.
C) The responsibility of the creator of the waste to track it from creation to disposal.
D) The type of waste companies can create and dispose of.

Question 8

What variety of environmental crime was the Love Canal tragedy a result of?

A) Illegal emissions
B) Illegal disposal of hazardous waste
C) harmful destruction of property and wildlife
D) misuse of federal facilities and public land

Question 9

What is the difference between illegal dumping and illegal disposal of hazardous wastes?

A) Dumping refers to products businesses no longer need.
B) Dumping usually refers to chemical wastes.
C) Illegal disposal refers to parts that no longer work.
D) Dumping refers to the general concept of littering, while illegal disposal is more precise and refers to chemical products.

Question 10

What is one risk of illegal dumping?

A) Products are usually not biodegradable and will destroy land.
B) Dumping sites might be converted into housing.
C) Products are usually toxic in nature.
D) Dumping sites become breeding grounds for crime

Question 11

What is the primary reason illegal dumping occurs?

A) economic reasons
B) ease and access reasons
C) laws that are not strict enough
D) lack of enforcement of laws

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of harmful destruction of property?

A) chemical fertilizers
B) logging on private land
C) land development without approval
D) building on former hazardous waste site

Question 13

What is an example of harmful treatment of animals as an environmental white-collar crime?

A) Illegally fishing without a license
B) Illegal hunting
C) abusing a pet
D) overharvesting sea life

Question 14

The U.S. government has identified which of the following as an environmental threat?

A) use of federal land
B) preparation for catastrophic events
C) harmful destruction of wildlife
D) intentional burning

Question 15

Which variety of environmental crime was committed when the U.S. used uranium in the production of armor and weapons during the Gulf Wars?

A) Illegal disposal of hazardous wastes
B) Illegal handling of hazardous wastes
C) environmental state crime
D) international environmental crime

Question 16

If a company trades a substance that is harmful to the ozone, what type of environmental crime is being committed?

A) Illegal disposal of hazardous wastes
B) Illegal handling of hazardous wastes
C) environmental state crime
D) international environmental crime

Question 17

The EPA's research on hazard identification focuses on what aspect of environmental risks?

A) identifying where pollutants exist and how long they have been there
B) determining the level of pollutants present in specific locations
C) identifying the negative health consequences of various pollutants
D) developing best practices for managing environmental risks

Question 18

Which of the following has the least impact on costs resulting from pollution and environmental crimes?

A) economic costs
B) wildlife costs
C) physical costs
D) community costs

Question 19

Which of the following would be considered a risk when considering costs to the community due to illegal dumping?

A) emotional distress
B) injury to children playing around dump sites
C) soil deterioration
D) damage to parks and public spaces

Question 20

What type of community is at a higher risk for experiencing the effects of environmental crime?

A) industrial communities
B) small communities
C) rural communities
D) minority communities

Question 21

What is one of the main roles of the EPA?

A) protecting public health
B) enacting pollution legislation
C) prosecuting future misconduct
D) managing public lands

Question 22

What is one specific method that the EPA uses to help keep the public informed about air pollution issues?

A) research
B) AirNow
C) monthly reports available online
D) television commercials

Question 23

How does the EPA generate funds in its efforts to fight environmental crime?

A) sharing costs for investigations with other regulatory agencies
B) collecting corporate fines to help clean up the cost of environmental pollution sites
C) receiving large donations pledged by corporations who have committed environmental crimes
D) using funds allocated by Congress for environmental investigations

Question 24

Why was the EPA criticized by rural communities?

A) The EPA gave too much power to states to enforce EPA regulations in rural communities.
B) The EPA did not provide enough guidance on the regulations it was imposing on farmers.
C) The EPA was accused of overregulating farmers and interfering with their ability to make a living.
D) Rural communities were angry that the EPA was not addressing the environmental concerns that affected the farming industry.

Question 25

How does the media make it more difficult for authorities to respond to environmental crimes?

A) They focus on a high percentage of environmental crimes that occur.
B) They are critical of political attention to environmental disasters.
C) They give the public and policy makers a distorted image of environmental crime
D) They do not report enough on the EPA's environmental successes.

Question 26

Pollution itself is not an environmental crime.

Question 27

Because of the Fifth Amendment, companies are not required to self-report incidents of large amounts of pollution being released into the environment.

Question 28

Illegal disposal of wastes often refers to companies disposing of products they no longer want or can use, like old tires.

Question 29

The government recognizes organized crime entities like the Mafia as an environmental threat.

Question 30

It is estimated that close to 100,000 people die in the U.S. each year due to pollution affects.

Question 31

As part of deterrent efforts, EPA settlements include fines and agreements with specific measures for companies to implement that will stop future offending.

Question 32

AirNow is a tool used by the EPA to measure the amount of pollution in the air at a given time in a specific location.

Question 33

The domains of environmental risk assessment research include exposure assessment and dose-response assessment.

Question 34

The EPA was applauded for the information it provided to the public about the dangers of the air surrounding Ground Zero after 9/11.

Question 35

Evidentiary issues with responding to environmental crime include identifying harm and liability of crimes.

Question 36

Explain why, despite the Fifth Amendment, companies are required to disclose any instances in which they have released harmful pollution into navigable waters and risk heavy fines?

Question 37

Before the "Cradle to the Grave" provision to the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, what was a common method that companies used to dispose of wastes?

Question 38

List three common products that are illegally dumped.

Question 39

List and explain two criticisms of the EPA.

Question 40

In regards to responding to environmental crimes, list three aspects of evidentiary issues.

Question 41

Discuss the impacts of the BP oil well accident in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010 and how the incident relates to white-collar crime.

Question 42

Discuss the ways in which environmental crimes can be a form of white-collar crime.

Question 43

Discuss the problems in addressing environmental crime. Provide examples.