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Optimal profits under environmental regulation: The benefits from emission intensity averaging

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  • Hampf, Benjamin
  • Rødseth, Kenneth Løvold

Abstract

In this paper we analyze the economic effects of implementing EPA's newly proposed regulations for carbon dioxide (CO2) on existing U.S. coal-fired power plants using nonparametric methods on a sample of 144 electricity generating units. Moreover, we develop an approach for evaluating the economic gains from averaging emission intensities among the utilities' generating units, compared to implementing unit-specific performance standards. Our results show that the implementation of flexible standards leads to up to 2.7 billion dollars larger profits compared to the uniform standards. Moreover, we find that by adopting best practices, current profits can be maintained even if an intensity standard of 0.88 tons of CO2 per MWh is implemented. However, our results also indicate a trade-off between environmental and profit gains, since aggregate CO2 emissions are higher with emission intensity averaging than with uniform standards.

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  • Hampf, Benjamin & Rødseth, Kenneth Løvold, 2014. "Optimal profits under environmental regulation: The benefits from emission intensity averaging," Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics 220, Darmstadt University of Technology, Department of Law and Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:darddp:dar_68011
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    environmental regulation; profit maximization; emission intensity averaging; nonparametric effciency analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • L50 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - General
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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