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