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Environmental policy and equity: The case of superfund

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  • John A. Hird

Abstract

This article analyzes the equity implications of the EPA's Superfund program by examining the geographic distribution of sites, who pays for cleanup, and cleanup pace. Although the “polluter pays” principle is used to justify Superfund policy, it is a goal that is not-and indeed usually cannot-be attained for past contamination. Further, the geographic distribution of Superfund sites suggests that the likely beneficiaries of program expenditures live in counties that are on average both wealthier and more highly educated than the rest, and also have lower rates of poverty. The pace of the EPA's cleanups, however, depends mostly on the sites' potential hazard, and is not apparently motivated by the localities' socioeconomic characteristics or political representation. The program is found in several respects to be both inefficient and inequitable, yet Superfund enjoys considerable support for reasons beyond these traditional public policy goals, including its political and symbolic appeal.

Suggested Citation

  • John A. Hird, 1993. "Environmental policy and equity: The case of superfund," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(2), pages 323-343.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:12:y:1993:i:2:p:323-343
    DOI: 10.2307/3325238
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    1. Kohlhase, Janet E., 1991. "The impact of toxic waste sites on housing values," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 1-26, July.
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    1. Fischhendler, Itay, 2007. "Escaping the "polluter pays" trap: Financing wastewater treatment on the Tijuana-San Diego border," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2-3), pages 485-498, August.
    2. Schoolman, Ethan D. & Ma, Chunbo, 2012. "Migration, class and environmental inequality: Exposure to pollution in China's Jiangsu Province," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 140-151.
    3. Paul Mohai & Robin Saha, 2006. "Reassessing racial and socioeconomic disparities in environmental justice research," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 383-399, May.
    4. Susan L. Cutter & Danika Holm & Lloyd Clark, 1996. "The Role of Geographic Scale in Monitoring Environmental Justice," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(4), pages 517-526, August.
    5. Michael Greenstone & Justin Gallagher, 2008. "Does Hazardous Waste Matter? Evidence from the Housing Market and the Superfund Program," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(3), pages 951-1003.
    6. Ryan Johnson & Kim Ramsey-White & Christina H. Fuller, 2016. "Socio-demographic Differences in Toxic Release Inventory Siting and Emissions in Metro Atlanta," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, July.
    7. William M. Bowen, 1999. "Comments on “‘Every Breath You Take... ’: The Demographics of Toxic Air Releases in Southern Californiaâ€," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 13(2), pages 124-134, May.
    8. Jessi Troyan & Joshua Hall, 2019. "The Political Economy of Abandoned Mine Land Fund Disbursements," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Revesz, Richard & Stavins, Robert, 2004. "Environmental Law and Policy," Working Paper Series rwp04-023, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    10. Adam Eckerd & Andrew Keeler, 2012. "Going green together? Brownfield remediation and environmental justice," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 45(4), pages 293-314, December.
    11. John D. Graham & Nancy Dean Beaulieu & Dana Sussman & March Sadowitz & Yi‐Ching Li, 1999. "Who Lives Near Coke Plants and Oil Refineries? An Exploration of the Environmental Inequity Hypothesis," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 171-186, April.
    12. Kniesner, Thomas J. & Viscusi, W. Kip, 2023. "Promoting Equity through Equitable Risk Tradeoffs," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(1), pages 8-34, March.
    13. Rae Zimmerman, 1993. "Social Equity and Environmental Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(6), pages 649-666, December.
    14. Ran An & Peng Liu, 2023. "Research on the Environmental Philosophy of China’s Environmental Crime Legislation from the Perspective of Ecological Civilization Construction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-19, January.
    15. Andrew B. Whitford, 2008. "A Test of the Political Control of Bureaucracies Under Asymmetric Information," Rationality and Society, , vol. 20(4), pages 445-470, November.
    16. Nicole Bijlsma & Marc M. Cohen, 2016. "Environmental Chemical Assessment in Clinical Practice: Unveiling the Elephant in the Room," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-27, February.
    17. Baden, Brett M. & Coursey, Don L., 2002. "The locality of waste sites within the city of Chicago: a demographic, social, and economic analysis," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1-2), pages 53-93, February.
    18. Andrew B. Whitford, 2007. "Competing Explanations for Bureaucratic Preferences," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 19(3), pages 219-247, July.
    19. James T. Hamilton, 1995. "Testing for environmental racism: Prejudice, profits, political power?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(1), pages 107-132.
    20. Cory, Dennis C. & Rahman, Tauhidur, 2009. "Environmental justice and enforcement of the safe drinking water act: The Arizona arsenic experience," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1825-1837, April.
    21. Douglas L. Anderton & John Michael Oakes & Karla L. Egan, 1997. "Environmental Equity in Superfund," Evaluation Review, , vol. 21(1), pages 3-26, February.
    22. David M. Konisky, 2009. "Inequities in enforcement? Environmental justice and government performance," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 102-121.
    23. Bez, Charlotte S. & Ash, Michael & Boyce, James K., 2024. "Environmental inequality in industrial brownfields: Evidence from French municipalities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    24. Marc D. Shapiro, 2005. "Equity and information: Information regulation, environmental justice, and risks from toxic chemicals," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 373-398.
    25. James T. Hamilton & W. Kip Viscusi, 1999. "How costly is “clean”? An analysis of the benefits and costs of Superfund site remediations," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(1), pages 2-27.

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