What are environmentally critical projects according to Proclamation 2146?

• A. Small-scale agricultural projects and residential developments.
• B. Only government-funded infrastructure projects.
• C. Non-resource-based tourism projects.
• D. Major mining, quarry projects, major infrastructure, heavy industries, and resource extraction projects.

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how Proclamation 2146 defines environmentally critical projects: these are the activities that, because of their size or nature, can cause significant and potentially lasting harm to the environment. Because of that risk, such projects are singled out for stricter review and oversight, including the requirement to undergo a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment and to implement mitigation measures before they move forward.

The best answer lists large-scale and high-risk activities—major mining and quarry projects, major infrastructure, heavy industries, and resource extraction—which are exactly the kinds of endeavors Proclamation 2146 targets as environmentally critical. Smaller, non-resource-based activities like small-scale farming or residential development, or tourism projects that don’t involve resource extraction, generally don’t rise to that level of potential impact and thus aren’t categorized as environmentally critical.