Exam 2 Environmental policy

Clean Water Act

federal waters pollution control act enacted in 1948 but changed in 1972

trade

firms buy or sell tradeable pollution credits

Harrington Paradox

firms' compliance with environmental regulations is high despite the fact that inspections occur infrequently and fines are rare and small. firms for the most part regulate themselves

Goal of the Clean Water Act

have all surface waters be fishable and swimmable with no discharge by 1985

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)

health based but also must have CBA, EPA may issues health advisories if primary standards are violated, does not cover private wells

Developing A countries

high growth countries like china, india, mexico, and brazil

Hydraulic fracking

high pressured water, sand, and additives pumped down welbore. process is repeated multiple times, once water is pumped out, oil and gas flow out through cracks

positive feedback loops

ice caps and forest loss can amplify the problem

Nonattainment

if an area fails to meet the designated NAQQS for a criteria pollutant

Cooperative Plan with states as part of the CPP

improve energy efficiency, improved clean energy development, regional cap and trade

Phase 1 Monitoring

in atack emission monitors and on site continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) analyzers

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

includes pollutants like mercury and many other chemicals. the standard says the max degree of emission reduction that the EPA determines to be achievable. Weaker than the NAQQS.

GHG trends have been

increasing along with average temp change

1990 amendements to the Clean Air Act

introduced cap and trade system

State Fracking Policy

many states have a severance tax on fracking and each state has its own regulation

cap and trade system

market-based pollution control system in which the government sets an overall limit on how much of a pollutant is acceptable and issues vouchers to pollute to each company, which companies are then free to trade

Montreal Protocol

meeting in 1987 where a group of nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's banned

natural gas

methane is 21-25 times more potent as C in terms of GWPand can be a bridge for clean energy because its more efficient

problems with cap and trade

monitoring, how big is the cap, how to allocate initial credits, regional hot spots

in practice

mostly affect point sources and are not strict enough

Safe Drinking Water Act

national primary drinking water regulations (NPDWR), in 1986 contaminates were identifies, and since then slowly increased the number of regulated contaminates (now around 90)

EPAs fuel economy Stickers

new test methods will bring estimates closer to actual fuel economy by factoring high speeds, air conditioning use, driving in cold temps, tire pressure, load etc.

Where does most water pollution come from

non point sources like urban and ag runoff

new source review

old plants with major renovations must adopt BAT and mandated SO2 scrubbers for coal fired power plants

New Source Performance Standards

part of the 1977 CAA amendments, new facilities must be built with the Best available tech

Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA)

passed in 1975 in response to the arab oil embargo, title V improving automobile efficiency, established CAFE standards for passenger car models

Tipping Points

permafrost melting and carbon sinks

Types of Polluters in the 1977 CAA amendements

point sources and non point sources (hard to regualte)

levels of the 6 primary pollutants must

provide an adquate margin of safery from any known or anticipated adverse effects

Primary Standards

provide public health protection including protecting the health of sensitive populations

Secondary Standards

provide public welfare against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings

firms often seek out regualtions that limit competition

pullman cars, adoption of scrubbers

Capture theory of regulations

regulatory agencies may come to be dominated by these interests they regulate and not by the public interest

International Energy Agency

releases its annual report each october that emphasizes different issues each year that gathers global data on energy consumption and production and co2 emissions

State and Local Incentives

renewable portfolio standards, regional cap and trade programs, climate action plans,

National Ambient Air Quaility Standards (NAQQS)

set the level of permissible concentrations of chemicals in the air that can be adjusted and reviewed

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)

stabalize CO2 concentrations below 450 ppm, want to keep warming under 1.5 d C

climate action plans

state/regional level policy documents that emphasize adaptation strategies

command-and-control policy

technology-based standards and performance based standards. The typical system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders.

Why did the CAA gain teeth in 1970

the EPA was formed which allowed for federal enfocement and command and control regulations

regulatory standards are often complicated because

they are not understood by the public, not understood by regualtors, these interest sometimes even write the regualtions themselves

Interngovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

united nations internatinal group of scientists that issue periodic reports summarizing latest climate science

Heat Islands

urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat more than do nonurban areas.

Mann Hockey Stick

used tree rings to reconstruct data from the last 1000 years and came to the general consensus that the global temp is increasing

Critisisms of Climate Change Economics

what does a dose response function look life

regulatory standards (for NAQQA) set

without regards to cost of attainment-total risk management approach-need to developed tech to limit emissions or stop the activity

Marcellus Shale Formation

-Marine sedimentary rock found in eastern North America -The shale contains largely untapped natural gas reserves -Its proximity to the high-demand markets along the East Coast of the United States makes it an attractive target for energy development -Contains enough natural gas to supply all US gas needs for 14 years

Clean Air Act Passed

1963

1990 amendments to CAA phase 1

1995, affected 263 units of coal fired power plants, aims to reduce so2 levels to stop acid rain, give away allowances for power plans, each march 3% of allowances are auctioned to the public

1990 amendements to CAA Phase 2

2000, tightened emissions limits and expanded to 3,200 regulated units, allocated allowances based upon historical fuel consumption, allowances may be bought, sold, or retired, total cap canot exceed 8.95 million tons of s02, anyone can purchase allowances

Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR)

2011, rule required certain states in the E Half of the US to improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that cross state lines. adapted from the clean air interstate rule in the reading but was throwing out by courts in 2008

West VA vs EPA

2022, EPA created clean power plan rule after 2007 mass ruling West VA sures Court rules that congress has to directly give authority to EPA to regulate carbon via legislation

Tap Water Safety

80% of systems have no violations, independent evals of water quality vary on if bottled water or tap water is better

paris Agreement 2015

Agreement made between the United Nations countries to cut down on the emissions of greenhouse gases in an attempt to slow down global warming. More wealthy and producing countries have to cut down more. US NDC said we would be carbon free by 2035 have transpo incensitve schemes nature based solutions

Milankovitch cycles

Changes in the shape earth's orbit and tilt that cause glacial periods and interglacial periods.

order of most common greenhouse hases

Co2 by fossil fuel, methane, then co2 by forestry and other land uses, then nitrous oxide, then F gases

Green House Gases

Co2, Methane, and nitrous oxide

market based regulations

Coasian bargaining, pigouvian taxes, cap and trade system

1977 CAA amendements

EPA is to target point sources but congress wants to ease the regulatory burden over time and wants to target coal fired power plants, auto manufacturers, and other industrial sources

Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR)

EPA rule published in 2005 establishing cap-and-trade programs for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in 28 eastern states

developed countries

EU, US, Japan

Clean Power Plan

First comprehensive federal govenment strat to regulate the nations climate warming emissions: has been the goal of reducing carbon from the power sector by 32% below 2005 levels, first national plan with states, cooperative plans with states, challanged in courts and invalidated based upon a technical glitch the glitch was fixed and the EPA tried to move ahead

DuPont

Large company that produced explosive materials such as gunpowder and dynamite.

National Climate Policy

Mass vs EPA,Clean Power Plan, West VA vs EPA,

What GHG have the highest GWP

Methane, then nitroius oxide, then Co2. but HFCs and PFCs are the most heat absorbant

NPDES permit

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is the regulatory agency document issued by either a federal or state agency that is designed to control all discharges of potential pollutants.

Coasian Bargaining

Negotiation between parties internal to and external to a transaction, which influence whether a transaction takes place; a bargaining process that internalizes an externality.

Mass Vs EPA

Originally files by 19 environmental groups to list CO2 as an air pollutant Under GW Bush, the EPA declined to regulate Mass files suit to EPA, citing reduce shoreline as a threat to public health and welfare Suprme court case finding that the EPA could list Co2 as an air pollutant

pullman cars

Railway cars that were designed to be like luxury hotels but on the railways

The Muller Stucy

Richard Muller found that heat island effect was negligible

Developing B Countries

SE Asia, Central and South America, Africa

6 primary pollutants covered by NAQQS

SO2, NO2, Lead (added in 1997), Ozone, Carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and Volatile Organic Compounds, mercury(added in 2012 but was dropped after legal challenges)

Results of Mass Vs EPA

The EPA can regulate Co2 like the other criteria pollutants from the CAA Rules about rate of C02 emissions on coal fired power plants Car emissions

TMDL

Total Maximum Daily Load: the total load of a pollutant that can be absorbed without violated

Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy

Use most recent science to estimate level of Co2 concentration causes what amount of warming and the spatial/temporal distribution Estimate the relationship between each degree warming and the economic costs Using this info, create an optimal pathway for emissions reductions

dose response

`correlation between the amount of a drug given and its effects

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

a number that represents the relative contribution of a molecule of the atmospheric gas to global warming

CAFE standards

a performance standard specifying a minimum level of average fuel economy applicable to a manufacturer in a model year set by NHTSA, EPA calculates it for each manufacter

Chevron Deference

a principle of administrative law requiring courts to defer to interpretations of statutes made by those government agencies charged with enforcing them, unless such interpretations are unreasonable.

Pigouvian Tax

a tax imposed on an activity that creates a negative externality

cap and trade was first used to control what

acid rain

emissions reductions

aggregate emissions reductions, still problems of how quickly phase 1 was working, incentives for price cuts, saving 1-2 billion a year compared to command and control

marketable pollution allowances

allocate a fixed number of permit for the right to pollute (must add up to the cap)

cap

an aggregate level of emissions quota is set

Performance based standards

applies to point sources, permits to pollute, and waste wate treatment facilities

Three Components to the Cap and trade system

cap, marketable pollution allowances, and trade

Air pollutant

cause or contribute to ait pollution which may reasonable by anticipated to endanger public health or welfare

Issues with Ground water

chemical contamination of aquifers, Hydraulic fracturing and water contamination in which the EPA does not have the authority to regulate

Groundwater

complex because it may cover multiple jurisdictions, not many federal regulations, lots of variation between state regulations

Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change

concluded that climate change could cost the world 5-20% of GDP by the year 2200

Kyoto Protocol

controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

advantages to cap and trade

cost saving, certainty in emission reductions

Nobel Laureate William Nordhais

critisizes stens low discount rate, deceloped the Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy (DICE),

National Pollution Discharge elimination system

designed to regulate point sources

Regulators perfer

deterrence emforcement, voluntary compliance, because enforcement is expensive

Water Quality Standards

developed for all navigable waters, more stringent in some waterways, implemented by states, TMDL

3 types of countries

developed, developing A, developing B

Collective Action Dilemma

difficulty of international cooperation

Flint Michigan

disconnected water from Lake Huron and connected to the Flynt River. the increase acidity of the water erroded pipes and lead to 12,300 ppb when the safe level is 15 ppb. EPA was slow to act taking a year to make change. Lead leached into the water supply

US GHG are emitted mostly by

electricity, transportaion, industry, commecial and residential, then ag