scholarly journals Association of temporary Environmental Protection Agency regulation suspension with industrial economic viability and local air quality in California, United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Chang ◽  
Kenneth Zhang ◽  
Margaret Paczkowski ◽  
Sara Kohler ◽  
Marco Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Oil Refineries ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background This study seeks to answer two questions about the impacts of the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement regulation rollbacks: is this suspension bolstering the economic viability of industries as oil and manufacturing executives claim they will and are these regulations upholding the agency’s mission of protecting the environment? Results To answer the former question, we utilized 6 months of state employment level data from California, United States, as a method of gauging the economic health of agency-regulated industries. We implemented a machine learning model to predict weekly employment data and a t-test to indicate any significant changes in employment. We found that, following California's state-issued stay-at-home order and the agency’s regulation suspension, oil and certain manufacturing industries had statistically significant lower employment values. To answer the latter question, we used 10 years of PM2.5 levels in California, United States, as a metric for local air quality and treatment–control county pairs to isolate the impact of regulation rollbacks from the impacts of the state lockdown. Using the agency’s data, we performed a t-test to determine whether treatment–control county pairs experienced a significant change in PM2.5 levels. Even with the statewide lockdown—a measure we hypothesized would correlate with decreased mobility and pollution levels—in place, counties with oil refineries experienced the same air pollution levels when compared to historical data averaged from the years 2009 to 2019. Conclusions In contrast to the expectation that the suspension would improve the financial health of the oil and manufacturing industry, we can conclude that these industries are not witnessing economic growth with the suspension and state shutdown in place. Additionally, counties with oil refineries could be taking advantage of these rollbacks to continue emitting the same amount of PM2.5, in spite of state lockdowns. For these reasons, we ask international policymakers to reconsider the suspension of enforcement regulations as these actions do not fulfill their initial expectations. We recommend the creation and maintenance of pollution control and prevention programs that develop emission baselines, mandate the construction of pollution databases, and update records of pollution emissions.

scholarly journals Association of Temporary Environmental Protection Agency Regulation Suspension With Industrial Economic Viability and Local Air Quality in California, United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Chang ◽  
Kenneth Zhang ◽  
Margaret Paczkowski ◽  
Sara Kohler ◽  
Marco Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
T Test ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Oil Refineries ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BackgroundThis study seeks to answer two questions about the impacts of the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement regulation rollbacks: is this suspension bolstering the economic viability of industries as oil and manufacturing executives claim they will and are these regulations upholding the agency’s mission of protecting the environment?ResultsTo answer the former question, we utilized employment levels as a method of gauging the economic health of agency-regulated industries. By implementing a machine learning model to predict employment values weekly and a t-test to indicate any significant changes in employment, we found that most industries, including oil, are economically worse off following California's state-issued stay-at-home order and the agency’s regulation suspension.To answer the latter question, we used PM2.5 levels as a metric for local air quality and isolated the impact of regulation rollbacks from the impacts of the state lockdown with treatment-control county pairs. Using the agency’s database to collect data and performing a t-test to determine whether treatment-control county pairs experienced a significant change in PM2.5 levels, we found that counties with oil refineries continued to experience the same air pollution levels as before, despite the statewide lockdown.ConclusionsFrom our findings, we can conclude that industries are not witnessing economic growth with these guidelines and state shutdown in place. Additionally, counties with oil refineries could be taking advantage of these rollbacks to continue emitting the same amount of PM2.5, in spite of state lockdowns. For these reasons, we ask international policymakers to reconsider the legislation of similar regulations as these policies do not fulfill their expectations.

scholarly journals What Do Economists Have to Say about the Clean Air Act 50 Years after the Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Currie ◽  
Reed Walker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Clean Air Act ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
The Past ◽  
Clean Air

Air quality in the United States has improved dramatically over the past 50 years in large part due to the introduction of the Clean Air Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce it. This article is a reflection on the 50-year anniversary of the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency, describing what economic research says about the ways in which the Clean Air Act has shaped our society—in terms of costs, benefits, and important distributional concerns. We conclude with a discussion of how recent changes to both policy and technology present new opportunities for researchers in this area.

TRANGUCH GASOLINE SITE CASE HISTORY

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 637-642
Author(s):  
Stephen Jarvela ◽  
Kevin Boyd ◽  
Robert Gadinski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT A team, consisting of the United States Environmental Protection Agency; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Pennsylvania Department of Health; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; United States Coast Guard and United States Army Corps of Engineers, has completed major steps to provide a safe and healthy environment for the residents of Laurel Gardens, Hazleton, PA. What started as a simple underground gasoline leak took on more serious dimensions when gasoline vapors were found in nearby homes. The investigation and mitigation expanded to include over 400 properties. The remediation consists of a ground water treatment system and a soil vapor extraction system. This paper and its presenters look at the critical aspects of this case as the investigation went from subsurface soil and ground water contamination impacting surface water to the contamination of indoor air. It examines the impact of preferential pathways that include sanitary and storm sewers as well as a 19th century abandoned coal mine. In addition to the technical aspects, this examination looks at the public health and community issues that have surrounded this case.

scholarly journals The impact of marine organics on the air quality of the western United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 6257-6278 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gantt ◽  
N. Meskhidze ◽  
A. G. Carlton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Western United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of marine organic emissions to the air quality in coastal areas of the western United States is studied using the latest version of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional-scale Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQv4.7) modeling system. Emissions of marine isoprene, monoterpenes, and primary organic matter (POM) from the ocean are implemented into the model to provide a comprehensive view of the connection between ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Model simulations show that marine organics can increase the concentration of PM2.5 by 0.1–0.3 μg m−3 (up to 5%) in coastal cities. This increase in the PM2.5 concentration is primarily attributed to the POM emissions, with small contributions from the marine isoprene and monoterpenes. When marine organic emissions are included, organic carbon (OC) concentrations over the remote ocean are increased by up to 50% (25% in coastal areas), values consistent with recent observational findings. This study is the first to quantify the air quality impacts from marine POM and monoterpenes for the United States, and highlights the need for inclusion of marine organic emissions in air quality models.

scholarly journals Presencia de plaguicidas organoclorados en forraje para ganado en unidades de producción de leche orgánica en Tecpatán, Chiapas

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
María N Murga Juárez ◽  
Rey Gutiérrez Tolentino ◽  
Salvador Vega y León ◽  
José J Pérez González ◽  
Beatriz Schettino Bermúdez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Codex Alimentarius

La presencia de plaguicidas organoclorados en el ambiente es preocupante por su persistencia, potencial de transporte a larga distancia y grado de toxicidad para la fauna y los seres humanos. En México, Chiapas ocupa el primer lugar en la producción de alimentos orgánicos, y Tecpatán es el principal municipio productor de leche orgánica. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la presencia de plaguicidas organoclorados en forraje para ganado lechero en unidades de producción de leche orgánica. Se eligieron tres unidades de producción de leche orgánica y se colectaron muestras de forraje y leche en cada unidad. Los plaguicidas se extrajeron y purificaron con base en lo establecido por la USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) y se analizaron por cromatografía de gases con detector de captura de electrones. Los compuestos que rebasaron el límite máximo permisible según el Codex Alimentarius fueron lindano, heptacloro + epóxido de heptacloro y aldrín + dieldrín (37.5 ± 84, 62 ± 125 y 20 ± 50 ng.g-1 base grasa, respectivamente). En las muestras de forraje los valores más altos fueron alfa + beta-HCH, lindano y heptacloro + epóxido de heptacloro (76.3 ± 140, 43 ± 105 ng.g-1 y 40 ± 76 ng.g-1 peso seco). Es probable que la destacada presencia de estos compuestos se deba a su utilización en el control de vectores en campañas de salud o de ectoparásitos del ganado de la región por parte de productores convencionales.

The Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Luann J. Lynch ◽  
Almand R. Coleman ◽  
Cameron Cutro ◽  
Cameron Cutro
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Performance Targets ◽  
The World ◽  
Hazardous Gases ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The U.S

In September 2015, VW had admitted to United States regulators that it had deliberately installed “defeat devices” in many of its diesel cars, which enabled the cars to cheat on federal and state emissions tests, making them able to pass the tests and hit ambitious mileage and performance targets while actually emitting up to 40 times more hazardous gases into the atmosphere than legally allowed. The discovery had prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt final certification of VW’s 2016 diesel models, and VW itself had halted sales of its 2015 models. As fallout from the defeat devices developed, VW posted its first quarterly loss in more than 15 years, and its stock plummeted. Top executives were replaced, and VW abandoned its goal of becoming the world’s largest automaker. Stakeholders around the world had been asking since the scandal broke: “How could this have happened at Volkswagen?”

Environmental Protection in the United States Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Industry: An Overview of Regulation of Wastewater Under the U.S. Clean Water Act

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca W. Hanmer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Clean Water Act ◽  
Paper Industry ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pulp And Paper ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Pulp Paper

The pulp, paper, and paperboard industry in the United States is the larqest industrial user of water with half of the facilities discharging wastewater directly to our Nation's waters. The major pollutants of concern have historically been the conventional pollutants: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH. Biological treatment systems are currently employed to reduce these pollutants. Sludges generated by these treatment systems have been categorized as nonhazardous and are generally landfilled. Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated all the reguired regulations for this industry. The national regulations are applied to individual pulp and paper mills through permits issued by EPA Regional or State staff. Permit limits can be written that are more restrictive than the national regulations to protect local water guality. In its current projects concerning the pulp and paper industry, EPA is focusing on the reduction of toxic pollutants. The Agency is conducting a joint EPA/industry program to study dioxin discharges at bleached kraft mills. The Agency will also undertake a comprehensive review of the pulp and paper regulations in 1988.

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