 PERI's research on environmental & energy economics explores how to integrate the goals of environmental protection and improved economic well-being for working people. Topics include the employment impacts of the transition to clean energy; the distributional implications of alternative climate policies; corporate responsibility for industrial pollution; and policies to safeguard natural assets as the common heritage of humankind. The E.P.A.: A Phantom MenaceAugust 2011 -- Heidi Garrett-Peltier's column for Dollars & Sense explores the economic impact of pending E.P.A. air quality regulations. The False Dichotomy of EnvironmentalismAugust 2011 -- James K. Boyce describes how a false dichotomy between humans versus nature threatens environmental progress. Creating Jobs through Better BuildingsJune 2011 -- In this research brief, Heidi Garrett-Peltier estimates the employment impacts of President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative: a set of tax code changes, lending programs, and a competitive grant program, designed to incentivize private investment in energy-efficiency upgrades to commercial buildings. She finds that through combined public and private investments, over 114,000 jobs can be created through the Initiative. This brief presents the tables and methodology used to derive this employment estimate. >> Download “Employment Estimates for Energy Efficiency Retrofits of Commercial Buildings" A Plan for a Sustainable U.S. Chemical IndustryMay 2011 -- In this report examining the U.S. chemical industry, James Heintz and Robert Pollin show that a shift to the production of chemicals that are safer for workers, the environment, and our health can create jobs and new markets. The industry has shed 300,000 jobs since 1992, and has under-invested in research and development. These job losses, and their continuation under the status quo, are not inevitable. The study finds that shifting the chemical industry towards greater disclosure, appropriate regulation (such as reform of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act), and long-run sustainability would encourage innovation, support competitiveness, and renew American manufacturing jobs. >> Download "The Economic Benefits of a Green Chemical Industry in the United States: Renewing Manufacturing Jobs While Protecting Health and the Environment" The Pillars of Successful Climate PolicyMay 2011 -- James K. Boyce outlines four pillars of a successful climate policy: action, adaptation, co-benefits, and dividends. The Fair Sharing of Our Environmental HeritageFebruary 2011 -- James K. Boyce's acceptance speech for the Common Heritage Award explores the meaning of an environment that belongs in common and equal measure to all. Regulating Airborne Emissions: Creating Jobs & Cleaner Energy February 2011 -- In this study commissioned by Ceres, James Heintz, Heidi Garrett-Peltier, and Ben Zipperer examine the economic impacts of air pollution regulations forthcoming from the Environmental Protection Agency: the Clean Air Transport Rule governing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, and the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Utility Boilers rule, which will set limits for hazardous air pollutants. Focusing on 36 states, the study assesses the potential employment impacts of the transformation of the nation’s energy generation plants to a cleaner, more efficient fleet, through investments in pollution controls and the retirement of outdated plants. >> Download “New Jobs — Cleaner Air: Employment Effects Under Planned Changes to the EPA’s Air Pollution Rules” The Perverse Incentives of Cap-and-TradeDecember 2010 -- James K. Boyce describes how "cap-and-giveaway-and-trade" has established perverse incentives and allowed polluters to appropriation our air and water. Is Environmental Justice Good for White Folks?July 2010 -- Michael Ash, James Boyce, Grace Chang and Helen Scharber examine how exposure to toxic air pollution from industrial facilities in the U.S. varies according to race, ethnicity, income and other factors. Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators project, the authors find that, in keeping with prior research, within any given urban area, racial and ethnic minorities tend to face greater exposure to these toxins. But they go on to find that the extent of the disparity of exposure in an urban area is positively correlated with levels of exposure: when wide racial and ethnic disparities in exposure levels are found, average exposures tend to be higher not only for minorities but for whites as well. The Economic Impacts of the CLEAR Act March 2010 -- Congress is expected to take up the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act in the coming months. In preparation for that debate, James K. Boyce and Matthew E. Riddle have updated earlier analyses of the household-level impacts of the cap-and-dividend plan, and how these differ among states. In their newest paper, the authors not only consider the specific parameters of the CLEAR Act, but also add an assessment of the state-by-state job creation from the bill. Boyce & Riddle find that interstate differences in the bill’s impact on household incomes are small: much smaller than differences across the income spectrum, and vastly smaller than the differences in other federal programs, such as defense spending. As a result, the CLEAR Act delivers positive net benefits to the majority of households in every state. Where there are interstate differences, Boyce & Riddle suggest ways in which the CLEAR Act could be modified to reduce or eliminate them altogether. The Toxic 100: Who Are the Worst Air Polluters in the U.S.?March 2010 -- The Toxic 100 Air Polluters index identifies the top U.S. air polluters among the world's largest corporations. The index relies on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Screening Environmental Indicators, which assesses the chronic human health risk from industrial toxic releases. For earlier PERI research on Environmental and Energy Economics, please go to the program archive page. |
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