Air and Water Pollution Regulation: Accomplishments and Economic Consequences

by Martin Freedman, Bikki L. Jaggi

Overview

This book tells the story of the polution-related activities of companies from the pulp and paper and electric utility industries. The authors trace the development of air and water pollution regulations, analyze pollution data obtained from the EPA offices filed by the companies, and examine the impact of companies' pollution performance on their economic performance. Specifically, the book conducts a comparative analysis of pollution performance of the companies over an eight-year period to evaluate whether the companies have been successful in reducing pollution emissions over this period and how far the pollution emission requirements of the environmental laws are being met, and whether the industries' fear that pollution abatement expenditures would negatively impact their economic performance has any validity.

After discussing the provisions and accomplishments of U.S. federal air and water pollution laws, the authors present a plant by plant analysis of air pollution performance for 1979 and 1987 for 109 plants from fifteen electric utility companies, and plant by plant water pollution analysis of fifteen pulp and paper companies. In addition, comparative analyses are presented for the electric utility companies by each air pollutant and by the total air pollution, and for pulp and paper companies for each water pollutant and for the total water pollution. On the basis of an overall pollution index, the authors rank the electric utilities and pulp and paper companies for air and water pollution respectively. The comparative analyses of different time periods demonstrate which companies improved their pollution-abatement performance. The impact of pollution performance on economic performance is addressed by the authors over the short as well as long term. On the basis of earlier research findings and economic theory, the authors hypothesize that there would be a negative economic impact in the short run, but in the long run, this negative impact would disappear. The real life data from companies support this general hypothesis. Finally, the authors relate their research findings to public policy issues and make recommendations for public policy on environmental pollution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780899307213
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/1993
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.69(d)
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)

About the Author

MARTIN FREEDMAN is Professor of Accounting at the State University of New York at Binghamton./e Widely published in economics, accounting and the environment, his articles have appeared in jourbanals such as Environmental Management, Critical Perspectives in Accounting, Advances in Public Interest Accounting, Business and Society Review, California Management Review, Challenge, and Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Jourbanal.

BIKKI JAGGI is Professor of Accounting at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ./e His articles have appeared in such jourbanals as the Accounting Review, Management Accounting, Environmental Management, and Financial Analysis Jourbanal. He is author of one book, co-author of another, and has contributed chapters to several books on management.

Table of Contents

Air and Water Pollution: The Laws and Their Consequences
Clean Air and the Law
Clean Water and the Law
Air and Water Pollution Performance
Air Pollution by Electric Utility Plants
Air Pollution and Electric Utility Companies
Water Pollution by Pulp and Paper Mills
Water Pollution and Pulp and Paper Companies
The Economic Analysis of Air and Water Pollution Abatement
Literature Review of Pollution Performance and Economic Performance
Air Pollution Performance and Economic Performance of Electric Utilities
Water Pollution Performance and Economic Performance by Pulp and Paper Firms
Measurement of Pollution Performance
Summary of Findings and Public Policy Implications