1
|
Abstract
The shale oil and gas boom has had large economic, environmental, and social impacts on rural communities in the United States. This study provides novel estimates of the impacts of shale oil and gas development on light pollution in rural areas of the United States. Using nationwide, time-calibrated DMSP-OLS database from 2000 to 2012, we find robust evidence that the shale oil and gas boom significantly increased light pollution in rural areas. We then assess associations between horizontal drilling and subjective self-rated health using nationwide data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2000 to 2012. Our findings suggest that insufficient sleep and poor health (physical or mental) are associated with increased drilling in rural areas. These results provide support for drilling-related light pollution as an additional environmental pathway of concern for public health beyond the mechanisms of air or water pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Boslett
- Dept. of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY, USA 14620
| | - Elaine Hill
- Dept. of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY, USA 14620
- Dept. of Economics, University of Rochester, Rochester NY, USA 14620
| | - Lala Ma
- Dept. of Economics, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY, USA 40506
| | - Lujia Zhang
- Dept. of Economics, University of Rochester, Rochester NY, USA 14620
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Abstract
We follow Medicare cohorts to estimate Hurricane Katrina's long-run mortality effects on victims initially living in New Orleans. Including the initial shock, the hurricane improved eight-year survival by 2.07 percentage points. Migration to lower-mortality regions explains most of this survival increase. Those migrating to low-versus high-mortality regions look similar at baseline, but their subsequent mortality is 0.83-1.01 percentage points lower per percentage point reduction in local mortality, quantifying causal effects of place on mortality among this population. Migrants' mortality is also lower in destinations with healthier behaviors and higher incomes but is unrelated to local medical spending and quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Deryugina
- Deryugina: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and NBER; Molitor: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and NBER. Thomas Lemieux was the coeditor for this article. We thank Amy Finkelstein, Don Fullerton, Matthew Gentzkow, Osea Giuntella, Nathaniel Hendren, Robert Kaestner, Jonathan Ketcham, Matthew Notowidigdo, Julian Reif, Nicholas Sanders, David Slusky, and seminar participants at the ASSA Annual Meeting, the AERE Summer Conference, the Annual Health Econometrics Workshop, Arizona State University, the BFI Health Economics Initiative Annual Conference, Cornell University, East Carolina University, Georgia State University, the Heartland Environmental and Resource Economics Workshop, the Illinois pERE seminar, Indiana University, the Junior Health Economics Summit, the London School of Economics, MHEC-X, the National University of Singapore, the CEPRA/NBER Workshop on Ageing and Health, the NBER EEE Spring Meeting, the NBER Summer Institute, SIEPR, the Symposium on Natural Resource Governance for Young Scholars, the University of British Columbia, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Virginia for helpful comments. Isabel Musse, Prakrati Thakur, Fan Wu, and Zhu Yang provided excellent research assistance. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R21AG050795, P01AG005842, and R01AG053350. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health
| | - David Molitor
- Deryugina: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and NBER; Molitor: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and NBER. Thomas Lemieux was the coeditor for this article. We thank Amy Finkelstein, Don Fullerton, Matthew Gentzkow, Osea Giuntella, Nathaniel Hendren, Robert Kaestner, Jonathan Ketcham, Matthew Notowidigdo, Julian Reif, Nicholas Sanders, David Slusky, and seminar participants at the ASSA Annual Meeting, the AERE Summer Conference, the Annual Health Econometrics Workshop, Arizona State University, the BFI Health Economics Initiative Annual Conference, Cornell University, East Carolina University, Georgia State University, the Heartland Environmental and Resource Economics Workshop, the Illinois pERE seminar, Indiana University, the Junior Health Economics Summit, the London School of Economics, MHEC-X, the National University of Singapore, the CEPRA/NBER Workshop on Ageing and Health, the NBER EEE Spring Meeting, the NBER Summer Institute, SIEPR, the Symposium on Natural Resource Governance for Young Scholars, the University of British Columbia, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Virginia for helpful comments. Isabel Musse, Prakrati Thakur, Fan Wu, and Zhu Yang provided excellent research assistance. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R21AG050795, P01AG005842, and R01AG053350. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen X, Tan CM, Zhang X, Zhang X. The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Temperature Extremes on Birth Outcomes: The Case of China. J Popul Econ 2020; 33:1263-1302. [PMID: 36035231 PMCID: PMC9417162 DOI: 10.1007/s00148-020-00768-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of prenatal exposure to extreme temperatures on birth outcomes-specifically, the log of birth weight and an indicator for low birth weight-using a nationally representative dataset in rural China. During the span of our data (i.e., 1991-2000), indoor air-conditioning was not widely available and migration was limited, allowing us to address identification issues endemic in the climate change literature related to adaptation and location sorting. We find substantial heterogeneity in the effects of extreme temperature exposure on birth outcomes. In particular, prenatal exposure to heat waves has stronger negative effects than exposure to cold spells on survivors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Chih Ming Tan
- Department of Economics, College of Business and Public Administration, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
| | - Xiaobo Zhang
- National School of Development, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- School of Statistics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
This study evaluates the effect of EPA's Superfund cleanup program on children's lead exposure. We linked two decades of blood lead level (BLL) measurements from children in six states with data on Superfund sites and other lead risk factors. We used quasi-experimental methods to identify the causal effect of proximity to Superfund cleanups on rates of elevated BLL. We estimated a difference-in-difference model comparing the change in elevated BLL of children closer to versus farther from lead-contaminated sites before, during, and after cleanup. We also estimated a triple difference model including children near hazardous sites with minimal to no lead contamination as a comparison group. We used spatial fixed effects and matching to minimize potential bias from unobserved differences between the treatment and comparison groups. Results indicate that Superfund cleanups lowered the risk of elevated BLL for children living within 2 kilometers of lead-contaminated sites 13 to 26 percent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather Klemick
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy, National Center for Environmental Economics, Washington, DC 20460
| | - Henry Mason
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy, National Center for Environmental Economics, Washington, DC 20460
| | - Karen Sullivan
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office for Communications, Partnerships, and Analysis, Washington, DC 20460
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cropper ML, Guttikunda S, Jawahar P, Lazri Z, Malik K, Song XP, Yao X. Applying Benefit-Cost Analysis to Air Pollution Control in the Indian Power Sector. J Benefit Cost Anal 2019; 10:185-205. [PMID: 32968618 PMCID: PMC7473063 DOI: 10.1017/bca.2018.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution is a persistent and well-established public health problem in India: emissions from coal-fired power plants have been associated with over 80,000 premature deaths in 2015. Premature deaths could rise by four to five times this number by 2050 without additional pollution controls. We site a model 500 MW coal-fired electricity generating unit at eight locations in India and examine the benefits and costs of retrofitting the plant with a flue-gas desulfurization unit to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. We quantify the mortality benefits associated with the reduction in sulfates (fine particles) and value these benefits using estimates of the value per statistical life transferred to India from high income countries. The net benefits of scrubbing vary widely by location, reflecting differences in the size of the exposed population. They are highest at locations in the densely populated north of India, which are also among the poorest states in the country.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maureen L. Cropper
- Maureen L. Cropper, Department of Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA and Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA
| | | | - Puja Jawahar
- Puja Jawahar: UrbanEmissions.Info, New Delhi, India
| | - Zachary Lazri
- Zachary Lazri: Department of Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Kabir Malik
- Kabir Malik: World Bank, Washington, D.C. 20433, USA
| | - Xiao-Peng Song
- Xiao-Peng Song: Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Xinlu Yao
- Xinlu Yao: Department of Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Deryugina T, Heutel G, Miller NH, Molitor D, Reif J. The Mortality and Medical Costs of Air Pollution: Evidence from Changes in Wind Direction. Am Econ Rev 2019; 109:4178-4219. [PMID: 32189719 PMCID: PMC7080189 DOI: 10.1257/aer.20180279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We estimate the causal effects of acute fine particulate matter exposure on mortality, health care use, and medical costs among the US elderly using Medicare data. We instrument for air pollution using changes in local wind direction and develop a new approach that uses machine learning to estimate the life-years lost due to pollution exposure. Finally, we characterize treatment effect heterogeneity using both life expectancy and generic machine learning inference. Both approaches find that mortality effects are concentrated in about 25 percent of the elderly population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Deryugina
- Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, 340 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
| | - Garth Heutel
- Department of Economics, Georgia State University, PO Box 3992, Atlanta, GA 30302
| | - Nolan H. Miller
- Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, 340 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
| | - David Molitor
- Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, 340 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
| | - Julian Reif
- Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, 340 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Guignet D, Jenkins R, Ranson M, Walsh P. Contamination and Incomplete Information:: Bounding Implicit Prices using High-Profile Leaks. J Environ Econ Manage 2018; 88:259-282. [PMID: 30996495 PMCID: PMC6463534 DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Incomplete information can lead households to underprice environmental disamenities in the housing market. To bound true implicit prices, researchers sometimes turn to high-profile cases involving significant media and community attention. However, prior research also finds that high-profile cases can lead to "stigma" effects that may confound interpretation of implicit prices. This study compares these opposing effects at the highest profile underground storage tank releases across the United States over the last thirty years. We utilize covariate matching and estimate difference-in-differences hedonic regressions at each site, and then conduct a cross-site meta-analysis to estimate the average treatment effects. We find an average housing price depreciation of 2% to 6% upon discovery of a release, which is an upper bound on the implicit price of contamination at more typical sites. Following cleanup, we find a housing price appreciation of a similar magnitude, suggesting that even in high-profile cases, surrounding neighborhoods do not experience persistent stigma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Guignet
- National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. EPA
- Corresponding Author National Center for Environmental Economics, US Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 1809 T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460, USA, Phone: +1-202-566-1573,
| | - Robin Jenkins
- National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. EPA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
This paper estimates the monetary value of cutting PM2.5, a dominant source of air pollution in China. By matching hedonic happiness in a nationally representative survey with daily air quality data according to the dates and counties of interviews in China, we are able to estimate the relationship between local concentration of particulate matter and individual happiness. By holding happiness constant, we calculate the tradeoff between the reduction in particulate matter and income, essentially a happiness-based measure of willingness-to-pay for mitigating air pollution. We find that people on average are willing to pay ¥258 ($42, or 1.8% of annual household per capita income) per year per person for a 1% reduction in PM2.5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- National School of Development, Peking University
| | - Xiaobo Zhang
- National School of Development, Peking University, International Food Policy Research Institute
| | - Xi Chen
- School of Public Health and Department of Economics, Yale University
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Moore C, Guignet D, Maguire KB, Dockins C, Simon NB. Valuing Ecological Improvements in the Chesapeake Bay and the Importance of Ancillary Benefits. J Benefit Cost Anal 2017; 9:1-26. [PMID: 31080702 PMCID: PMC6510401 DOI: 10.1017/bca.2017.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Reducing the excess nutrient and sediment pollution that is damaging habitat and diminishing recreational experiences in coastal estuaries requires actions by people and communities that are within the boundaries of the watershed but may be far from the resource itself, thus complicating efforts to understand tradeoffs associated with pollution control measures. Such is the case with the Chesapeake Bay, one of the most iconic water resources in the United States. All seven states containing part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed were required under the Clean Water Act to submit detailed plans to achieve nutrient and sediment pollution reductions. The implementation plans provide information on the location and type of management practices making it possible to project not only water quality improvements in the Chesapeake Bay but also improvements in freshwater lakes throughout the watershed, which provide important ancillary benefits to people bearing the cost of reducing pollution to the Bay but unlikely to benefit directly. This paper reports the results of a benefits study that links the forecasted water quality improvements to ecological endpoints and administers a stated preference survey to estimate use and nonuse value for aesthetic and ecological improvements in the Chesapeake Bay and watershed lakes. Our results show that ancillary benefits and nonuse values account for a substantial proportion of total willingness to pay and would have a significant impact on the net benefits of pollution reduction programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Moore
- US EPA, National Center for Environmental Economics
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Klemick H, Griffiths C, Guignet D. Improving Water Quality in an Iconic Estuary: An Internal Meta-analysis of Property Value Impacts around the Chesapeake Bay. Environ Resour Econ (Dordr) 2016; 69:265-292. [PMID: 31178627 PMCID: PMC6550325 DOI: 10.1007/s10640-016-0078-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This study conducts a meta-analysis and benefit transfer of the value of water clarity in the Chesapeake Bay estuary to estimate the property value impacts of pollution reduction policies. Estimates of the value of water clarity are derived from separate hedonic property value analyses of 14 counties bordering the Bay. The meta-analysis allows us to: 1) estimate the average effect of water clarity in the Chesapeake Bay, 2) investigate heterogeneity of effects across counties based on socioeconomic and ecological factors, 3) evaluate different measures of water clarity used in the original hedonic equations, and 4) transfer the values to Bayfront counties in nearby jurisdictions to estimate the property value impacts of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), a policy to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution entering the Bay that is expected to improve water clarity and ecological health. We also investigate the in-sample and out-of-sample predictive power of different transfer strategies and find that a simpler unit value transfer can outperform more complex function transfers. We estimate that aggregate near-waterfront property values could increase by roughly $400 million to $700 million in response to water clarity improvements from the TMDL.
Collapse
|