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Regional growth and exposure to nearby coal fired power plant emissions

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  • Kahn, Matthew E.

Abstract

Coal fired power plants emit high levels of air pollution per unit of power generated. A comparison of emissions factors (pounds of emissions per megawatt hour of power generation) based on year 2004 data reveals that the average coal fired power plant emits six times as much nitrogen oxide and more than twelve times as much sulfur dioxide as the average non-coal fired power plant. This paper uses data on the population of all electric utilities in the United States and evidence on population growth across regions to document that; pollution levels are higher in counties with coal fired plants, and that the population is moving away from regions such as the Midwest where the dirtiest coal fired power plants are located. Population growth is taking place in the South and West. Especially in the Western region, the power plants are newer and cleaner and less likely to be coal fired. In the South and West, population growth has a smaller impact on power plant emissions growth than in the Northeast and Midwest.

Suggested Citation

  • Kahn, Matthew E., 2009. "Regional growth and exposure to nearby coal fired power plant emissions," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 15-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:39:y:2009:i:1:p:15-22
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Kahn, Matthew E., 1999. "The Silver Lining of Rust Belt Manufacturing Decline," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 360-376, November.
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Electricity as a Differentiated Product
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2012-01-13 21:42:00
    2. The Consequences of Ideology
      by Matthew Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2014-08-13 20:18:00
    3. Applied Environmental and Urban Economics Research at RSUE
      by Matthew Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2014-12-10 08:19:00
    4. The Environmental Impact of Cloud Computing
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Legal Planet on 2012-09-23 20:16:17
    5. The Environmental Impact of Cloud Computing
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Legal Planet on 2012-09-23 20:16:17

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    Cited by:

    1. Brown, Jason P. & Tousey, Colton, 2020. "Death of Coal and Breath of Life: The Effect of Power Plant Closure on Local Air Quality," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304182, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Zhigao Hu & Jing Li & Hui Long, 2025. "How air pollution inhibits economic development: empirical analysis and mechanism verification based on prefecture-level data in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(6), pages 13117-13142, June.
    3. Matthew E. Kahn, 2010. "New Evidence on Trends in the Cost of Urban Agglomeration," NBER Chapters, in: Agglomeration Economics, pages 339-354, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Chali Nondo & Peter Schaeffer & Tesfa Gebremedhin & Jerald Fletcher, 2010. "An Empirical Analysis of the Interactions Between Environmental Regulations and Economic Growth," Working Papers Working Paper 2010-13, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    5. Daxuan Zhao & Tien Foo Sing, 2017. "Air pollution, economic spillovers, and urban growth in China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 58(2), pages 321-340, March.
    6. Mei, Yingdan & Gao, Li & Zhang, Wendong & Yang, Feng-An, 2021. "Do homeowners benefit when coal-fired power plants switch to natural gas? Evidence from Beijing, China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    7. Aguilar, Francisco X. & Goerndt, Michael E. & Song, Nianfu & Shifley, Stephen, 2012. "Internal, external and location factors influencing cofiring of biomass with coal in the U.S. northern region," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1790-1798.

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