Three Essays on Environmental Regulation and Spatial Modeling
Author | : Scott Elliot Lowe |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 456 |
Release | : 2006 |
ISBN-10 | : 0542682451 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780542682452 |
Rating | : 4/5 (452 Downloads) |
Download or read book Three Essays on Environmental Regulation and Spatial Modeling written by Scott Elliot Lowe and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three essays are presented that integrate spatial models of pollution and regulation into economic analyses of environmental quality. The first essay analyzes the reductions in PM10 concentrations in California over the past decade, and tests whether the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments influenced this decline. Of particular interest is the delegation of power from the Environmental Protection Agency to regional air quality management districts and the spatial resolution in the pollution data used. The second essay analyzes the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM), and links the behaviors of elected officials with characteristics of the facilities that are being regulated. In particular, my results show that the South Coast Air Quality Management District may have penalized facilities based on specific characteristics such as size, employment, and location, as well as their emissions of related pollutants and the emissions of neighboring facilities. The third essay provides estimates of the benefits derived from automobile-related regulations to reduce air toxics emissions. I infer a value for reductions in the risk of cancer from exposure to air toxics using a spatial dataset of air toxics cancer risk levels along with housing attributes and amenities in the San Francisco Bay Area.