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The effect of environmental regulation on plant-level product mix: A study of EPA's Cluster Rule

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  • Elrod, Aaron A.
  • Malik, Arun S.

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Cluster Rule on the product-mix decisions of plants in the pulp, paper, and paperboard industries. The Cluster Rule combines regulatory requirements from the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act that are based on plants altering their production processes away from chlorine-based bleaching agents. In addition to, or instead of, altering production processes, plants may plausibly comply with the regulation by reducing output of bleached products or dropping some of these products entirely. Using a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach, we find evidence that plants facing both air and water Cluster Rule regulation (treatment group) are more likely to drop bleached products relative to unbleached products compared to plants facing only air Cluster Rule regulation (control group). Furthermore, we find evidence that plants in the control group alter their product mixes toward bleached products.

Suggested Citation

  • Elrod, Aaron A. & Malik, Arun S., 2017. "The effect of environmental regulation on plant-level product mix: A study of EPA's Cluster Rule," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 164-184.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:83:y:2017:i:c:p:164-184
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.03.002
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    2. Joseph E. Aldy & Maximilian Auffhammer & Maureen Cropper & Arthur Fraas & Richard Morgenstern, 2022. "Looking Back at 50 Years of the Clean Air Act," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 60(1), pages 179-232, March.
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    4. Morgan, Cynthia & Pasurka, Carl & Shadbegian, Ron & Belova, Anna & Casey, Brendan, 2023. "Estimating the cost of environmental regulations and technological change with limited information," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    5. Ana Espinola-Arredondo & Felix Munoz-Garcia & Dolores Garrido, 2023. "Measuring regulatory errors from environmental policy uncertainty," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 48-65, December.
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    9. Fang, Lan & Fu, Yong & Chen, Shaojian & Mao, Hui, 2021. "Can water rights trading pilot policy ensure food security in China? Based on the difference-in-differences method," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 23(6), pages 1415-1434.
    10. Espinola-Arredondo, Ana & Muñoz-García, Félix & Duah, Isaac, 2019. "Anticipatory effects of taxation in the commons: When do taxes work, and when do they fail?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 1-1.
    11. He, Wenjian & Chen, Xiaoyang & Liu, Zhiyong John, 2022. "Can anti-corruption help realize the “strong” Porter Hypothesis in China? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing enterprises," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
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    13. Mao, Jie & Wang, Chunhua & Yin, Haitao, 2023. "Corporate responses to air quality regulation: Evidence from a regional environmental policy in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    14. Marc St‐Pierre & Aaron A. Elrod, 2022. "The perverse effect of environmental regulation on emissions: The role of product‐mix changes," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(1), pages 197-235, February.
    15. Weibing Li & Yongwen Yang, 2024. "The effect of environmental centralisation on productivity: Evidence from an administrative reform in China," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 824-851, March.
    16. Li, Jianglong & Gao, Jinfeng & Liao, Meiling, 2024. "Operating risk of enterprises when adopting environmental regulation: Evidence from environmental protection law in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 901-914.
    17. Zhang, Dongyang, 2022. "Environmental regulation, green innovation, and export product quality: What is the role of greenwashing?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    18. Zhizhong Liu & Qianying Chen & Guangyue Liu & Xu Han, 2022. "Do Deep Regional Trade Agreements Improve Residents’ Health? A Cross-Country Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-16, November.
    19. Wang, Mengying & Ren, Siyu & Xie, Guo, 2024. "Going “green trade”: Assessing the impact of digital technology application on green product export," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    20. Jingjing Huang & Yuan Zhong & Yabin Zhang, 2023. "Does Environmental Regulation of Cleaner Production Affect the Position of Enterprises in Global Value Chains? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the Implementation of Cleaner Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-29, July.
    21. Weihao Zhang & Helian Xu & Yuanyuan Xu, 2023. "Does Stronger Environmental Regulation Promote Firms’ Export Sophistication? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on Sewage Charges Standard Reform in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, June.
    22. Fraas, Arthur G. & Kopits, Elizabeth & Wolverton, Ann, 2021. "A Retrospective Review of Retrospective Cost Analyses," RFF Working Paper Series 21-29, Resources for the Future.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental regulation; Plant-level product mix; Cluster Rule; Difference-in-differences; Pulp and paper;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L69 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Other
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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