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Does Ambient Water Quality Affect the Stringency of Regulations? Plant-Level Evidence of the Clean Water Act

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  • Lopamudra Chakraborti
  • Kenneth E. McConnell

Abstract

This paper provides evidence that the Clean Water Act implemented through effluent limits responded to local water quality. We choose biological oxygen demand as the pollutant and dissolved oxygen as a water quality indicator. We use a panel of permits for 100 plants in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania for 1990 to 2004. We estimate that decline in water quality by 1 mg/L lowers permits by 5 mg/L. This finding demonstrates greater flexibility than might be expected in an effluent standards–based approach. It suggests efficient resource use, with permits relaxed with water quality improvements and tightened with water quality declines.

Suggested Citation

  • Lopamudra Chakraborti & Kenneth E. McConnell, 2012. "Does Ambient Water Quality Affect the Stringency of Regulations? Plant-Level Evidence of the Clean Water Act," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 88(3), pages 518-535.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:landec:v:88:y:2012:iii:1:p:518-535
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    Cited by:

    1. Chakraborti, Lopamudra, 2016. "Do plants’ emissions respond to ambient environmental quality? Evidence from the clean water act," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 55-69.
    2. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    3. Cohen, Alex & Keiser, David, 2016. "The Effectiveness of Overlapping Pollution Regulation: Evidence from the Ban on Phosphate in Dishwasher Detergent," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235533, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Fabien Martinez, 2015. "A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Framework of Corporate Water Responsibility," Post-Print hal-02887624, HAL.
    5. Cohen, Alex & Keiser, David A., 2017. "The effectiveness of incomplete and overlapping pollution regulation: Evidence from bans on phosphate in automatic dishwasher detergent," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 53-74.
    6. Li, Jing & Shi, Xing & Wu, Huaqing & Liu, Liwen, 2020. "Trade-off between economic development and environmental governance in China: An analysis based on the effect of river chief system," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    7. Elbakidze, Levan & Beeson, Quinn, 2020. "State Regulatory Heterogeneity and Clean Water Act Compliance," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304638, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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