Author: Helen N. Pushkarskaya
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nonpoint source pollution
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to design a regulatory policy to solve a nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution problem, . Cost-sharing programs of various kinds have dominated NPS policy since the 19802s. However, such programs are neither efficient nor effective. Economists agree that, in principle, performance-based approaches are preferred to design-based, because they allow firms to choose least-cost abatement practices. However, nonpoint sources are seldom included in performance-based programs since it is very costly to monitor the performance of individual NPS polluters. The NPS pollution problem can be modeled as a generalized principal-agents problem. That is, the principal has to regulate agents while he cannot observe either the types and or the effort level of the agents; only total level of ambient pollution is verifiable. However this kind of problem is very complicated and a general solution has yet to be derived. Simplified models (with either only adverse selection, or hidden action) have been analyzed and first best solutions derived. Nevertheless, these solutions are incomplete, since they fail to solve simultaneously the adverse selection and moral hazard problems. I show that under assumptions consistent with the NPS pollution situation it is possible to decompose the generalized principal-agent problem into two univariate variational problems in the multi-agents case, and to design a two-step contract that solves both the adverse selection and the hidden action problems. I offer a policy-maker2s algorithm that can be used to design a regulatory policy to control NPS pollution. Three steps of a transaction 6 property rights/initial endowment assignment, price and quantity determination, and money/product exchange 6 are considered sequentially; an optimal regulatory intervention is chosen for each step; and then the whole policy is evaluated for consistency and for as-yet-unexamined effects on related markets. Inconsistencies and undesired general equilibrium effects are resolved by modifying the intervention at the appropriate step and re-iterating through the policy algorithm. This research has resulted in contributions in three areas of economic theory: policy design, mechanism design (the generalized principal agent problem), and environmental economics (the nonpoint source water pollution problem).
Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control: Incentives Theory Approach
Author: Helen N. Pushkarskaya
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nonpoint source pollution
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to design a regulatory policy to solve a nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution problem, . Cost-sharing programs of various kinds have dominated NPS policy since the 19802s. However, such programs are neither efficient nor effective. Economists agree that, in principle, performance-based approaches are preferred to design-based, because they allow firms to choose least-cost abatement practices. However, nonpoint sources are seldom included in performance-based programs since it is very costly to monitor the performance of individual NPS polluters. The NPS pollution problem can be modeled as a generalized principal-agents problem. That is, the principal has to regulate agents while he cannot observe either the types and or the effort level of the agents; only total level of ambient pollution is verifiable. However this kind of problem is very complicated and a general solution has yet to be derived. Simplified models (with either only adverse selection, or hidden action) have been analyzed and first best solutions derived. Nevertheless, these solutions are incomplete, since they fail to solve simultaneously the adverse selection and moral hazard problems. I show that under assumptions consistent with the NPS pollution situation it is possible to decompose the generalized principal-agent problem into two univariate variational problems in the multi-agents case, and to design a two-step contract that solves both the adverse selection and the hidden action problems. I offer a policy-maker2s algorithm that can be used to design a regulatory policy to control NPS pollution. Three steps of a transaction 6 property rights/initial endowment assignment, price and quantity determination, and money/product exchange 6 are considered sequentially; an optimal regulatory intervention is chosen for each step; and then the whole policy is evaluated for consistency and for as-yet-unexamined effects on related markets. Inconsistencies and undesired general equilibrium effects are resolved by modifying the intervention at the appropriate step and re-iterating through the policy algorithm. This research has resulted in contributions in three areas of economic theory: policy design, mechanism design (the generalized principal agent problem), and environmental economics (the nonpoint source water pollution problem).
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nonpoint source pollution
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to design a regulatory policy to solve a nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution problem, . Cost-sharing programs of various kinds have dominated NPS policy since the 19802s. However, such programs are neither efficient nor effective. Economists agree that, in principle, performance-based approaches are preferred to design-based, because they allow firms to choose least-cost abatement practices. However, nonpoint sources are seldom included in performance-based programs since it is very costly to monitor the performance of individual NPS polluters. The NPS pollution problem can be modeled as a generalized principal-agents problem. That is, the principal has to regulate agents while he cannot observe either the types and or the effort level of the agents; only total level of ambient pollution is verifiable. However this kind of problem is very complicated and a general solution has yet to be derived. Simplified models (with either only adverse selection, or hidden action) have been analyzed and first best solutions derived. Nevertheless, these solutions are incomplete, since they fail to solve simultaneously the adverse selection and moral hazard problems. I show that under assumptions consistent with the NPS pollution situation it is possible to decompose the generalized principal-agent problem into two univariate variational problems in the multi-agents case, and to design a two-step contract that solves both the adverse selection and the hidden action problems. I offer a policy-maker2s algorithm that can be used to design a regulatory policy to control NPS pollution. Three steps of a transaction 6 property rights/initial endowment assignment, price and quantity determination, and money/product exchange 6 are considered sequentially; an optimal regulatory intervention is chosen for each step; and then the whole policy is evaluated for consistency and for as-yet-unexamined effects on related markets. Inconsistencies and undesired general equilibrium effects are resolved by modifying the intervention at the appropriate step and re-iterating through the policy algorithm. This research has resulted in contributions in three areas of economic theory: policy design, mechanism design (the generalized principal agent problem), and environmental economics (the nonpoint source water pollution problem).
Watershed Management for Potable Water Supply
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309172683
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 569
Book Description
In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309172683
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 569
Book Description
In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading.
Clean Coastal Waters
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309069483
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 422
Book Description
Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309069483
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 422
Book Description
Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.
Permit Trading in Different Applications
Author: Bernd Hansjürgens
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136710442
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
Permit trading is an environmental policy instrument that has received increasing levels of attention over recent years. Coming from the field of air quality management, with the European CO2 emissions trading system being the most prominent example, it enters new fields of application, such as land use policy and biodiversity protection, water quality and water quantity trading. This book gives an overview of these recent developments and discusses the possibilities and limits of permit trading in environmental policies. The advantages of permit trading are not only seen with respect to economic efficiency, which leads to achieving the environmental target at minimum cost, but also with respect to the instrument’s environmental effectiveness. By setting a cap for the overall emissions, a given environmental target can be met. This makes permit trading an interesting case for many environmental fields where safeguarding the environmental target plays a dominant role. Against this background, permit trading is discussed in environmental policy fields, where it has not been considered before, for example, land use management, biodiversity protection and water trading. Permit Trading in Different Applications analyses the properties of permit trading: its possibilities and limitations, its design options and its restrictions on a more general level. It demonstrates how lessons learnt in established policy fields like air quality management can be transferred to new and emerging fields of application. This collection will provide students and practitioners in environmental sciences and policy with valuable research into instrument choice and design with respect to permit trading.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136710442
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
Permit trading is an environmental policy instrument that has received increasing levels of attention over recent years. Coming from the field of air quality management, with the European CO2 emissions trading system being the most prominent example, it enters new fields of application, such as land use policy and biodiversity protection, water quality and water quantity trading. This book gives an overview of these recent developments and discusses the possibilities and limits of permit trading in environmental policies. The advantages of permit trading are not only seen with respect to economic efficiency, which leads to achieving the environmental target at minimum cost, but also with respect to the instrument’s environmental effectiveness. By setting a cap for the overall emissions, a given environmental target can be met. This makes permit trading an interesting case for many environmental fields where safeguarding the environmental target plays a dominant role. Against this background, permit trading is discussed in environmental policy fields, where it has not been considered before, for example, land use management, biodiversity protection and water trading. Permit Trading in Different Applications analyses the properties of permit trading: its possibilities and limitations, its design options and its restrictions on a more general level. It demonstrates how lessons learnt in established policy fields like air quality management can be transferred to new and emerging fields of application. This collection will provide students and practitioners in environmental sciences and policy with valuable research into instrument choice and design with respect to permit trading.
Economic Disincentives for Pollution Control
Author: Will A. Irwin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fines (Penalties)
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fines (Penalties)
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
General Technical Report SRS
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 488
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 488
Book Description
Perspectives on Nonpoint Source Pollution
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agricultural pollution
Languages : en
Pages : 532
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agricultural pollution
Languages : en
Pages : 532
Book Description
Incentives for Environmental Protection
Author: Thomas C. Schelling
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
Prices as regulatory instruments; The regulation of aircraft noise; The problem of aicraft noise; Federal noise-control strategies; Noise- control strategies for individual airports; An evaluation of incentive-based strategies; The regulation of airborne benzene.
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
Prices as regulatory instruments; The regulation of aircraft noise; The problem of aicraft noise; Federal noise-control strategies; Noise- control strategies for individual airports; An evaluation of incentive-based strategies; The regulation of airborne benzene.
Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sewage
Languages : en
Pages : 378
Book Description
"This manual contains overview information on treatment technologies, installation practices, and past performance."--Introduction.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sewage
Languages : en
Pages : 378
Book Description
"This manual contains overview information on treatment technologies, installation practices, and past performance."--Introduction.
Evaluation of the Economic Costs and Benefits of Methods for Reducing Nutrient Loads to the Gulf of Mexico
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Environmental policy
Languages : en
Pages : 136
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Environmental policy
Languages : en
Pages : 136
Book Description