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The Environmental Performance Of Polluting Plants: A Spatial Analysis

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  • Wayne B. Gray
  • Ronald J. Shadbegian

Abstract

This paper uses plant-level EPA and Census data to examine spatial factors affecting environmental performance, as measured by air pollutant emissions and regulatory compliance. We find significant effects for compliance, but not for emissions. Compliance is positively spatially correlated, partly explained by spatial correlations in observed plant characteristics, suggesting influences of industry agglomeration. The use of spatial econometric methods shows only small effects of spatially lagged compliance status, and does not greatly change the estimated contributions of other spatially explicit factors. Regulatory activity has the expected effect of increasing environmental performance, both at the inspected plant and at neighboring plants, but only for plants in the same state, demonstrating the importance of jurisdictional boundaries. Copyright Blackwell Publishing, Inc. 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Wayne B. Gray & Ronald J. Shadbegian, 2007. "The Environmental Performance Of Polluting Plants: A Spatial Analysis," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 63-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jregsc:v:47:y:2007:i:1:p:63-84
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Maniloff, 2016. "Bayesian Learning and Regulatory Deterrence: Evidence from Oil and Gas Production," Working Papers 2016-04, Colorado School of Mines, Division of Economics and Business.
    2. Cole, Matthew A. & Elliott, Robert J.R. & Okubo, Toshihiro & Zhou, Ying, 2013. "The carbon dioxide emissions of firms: A spatial analysis," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 290-309.
    3. Kjetil Telle, 2012. "Monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations. Lessons from a natural field experiment in Norway," Discussion Papers 680, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    4. repec:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:5:p:462:d:69739 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Wayne B. Gray & Jay P. Shimshack, 2011. "The Effectiveness of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement: A Review of the Empirical Evidence," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 5(1), pages 3-24, Winter.
    6. Valeria Costantini & Francesco Crespi & Alessandro Palma, 2014. "Policy Inducement Effects in Energy Efficiency Technologies. An Empirical Analysis on the Residential Sector," SEEDS Working Papers 1914, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Aug 2014.
    7. Telle, Kjetil, 2013. "Monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 24-34.
    8. Alm, James & Shimshack, Jay, 2014. "Environmental Enforcement and Compliance: Lessons from Pollution, Safety, and Tax Settings," Foundations and Trends(R) in Microeconomics, now publishers, vol. 10(4), pages 209-274, December.
    9. Claudia Ghisetti & Francesco Quatraro, 2013. "Beyond the Inducement in Climate Change: Do Environmental Performances Spur Enrivornmental Technologies? A Regional Analysis of Cross-Sectoral Differences," Working Papers 2013112, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.
    10. Li Li & Xuefei Hong & Dengli Tang & Ming Na, 2016. "GHG Emissions, Economic Growth and Urbanization: A Spatial Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 8(5), pages 1-16, May.
    11. Alm, James & Shimshack, Jay, 2014. "Environmental Enforcement and Compliance: Lessons from Pollution, Safety, and Tax Settings," Foundations and Trends(R) in Microeconomics, now publishers, vol. 10(4), pages 209-274, December.
    12. Zhaohui Chong & Chenglin Qin & Xinyue Ye, 2016. "Environmental Regulation, Economic Network and Sustainable Growth of Urban Agglomerations in China," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, May.
    13. repec:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:5:p:467:d:69798 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Júlia Gallego Ziero Uhr & André Luis Squarize Chagas, Daniel de Abreu Pereira Uhr, Renan Porn Peres, 2017. "A study on environmental infractions for Brazilian municipalities: a spatial dynamic panel approach," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2017_13, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    15. Gonzalez, Fidel & Leipnik, Mark & Mazumder, Diya, 2013. "How much are urban residents in Mexico willing to pay for cleaner air?," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(03), pages 354-379, June.
    16. repec:hal:wpaper:hal-00860045 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Lirong Liu, 2013. "Analysis of Firm Compliance with Multiple Environmental regulations," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 33(3), pages 1695-1705.
    18. Millimet, Daniel L., 2013. "Environmental Federalism: A Survey of the Empirical Literature," IZA Discussion Papers 7831, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    19. Mary F. Evans & Scott M. Gilpatric & Jay P. Shimshack, 2015. "Enforcement spillovers: Lessons from strategic interactions in regulation and product markets," Working Papers 2015-08, University of Tennessee, Department of Economics.
    20. Fraas, Art & Egorenkov, Alex, 2015. "A Retrospective Study of EPA’s Air Toxics Program under the Revised Section 112 Requirements of the Clean Air Act," Discussion Papers dp-15-23, Resources For the Future.
    21. Lirong Liu, 2012. "Analysis of Firm Compliance with Multiple Environmental Regulations," Working Papers 1207, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    22. Eric Neumayer & Thomas Plümper, 2010. "Making spatial analysis operational: Commands for generating spatial-effect variables in monadic and dyadic data," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 10(4), pages 585-605, December.
    23. Claudia Ghisetti & Francesco Quatraro, 2013. "Beyond inducement in climate change: Does environmental performance spur environmental technologies?," Post-Print hal-00860045, HAL.

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