US Water Pollution Regulation over the Past Half Century: Burning Waters to Crystal Springs?

Abstract

In the half century since the founding of the US Environmental Protection Agency, public and private US sources have spent nearly $5 trillion ($2017) to provide clean rivers, lakes, and drinking water (annual spending of 0.8 percent of US GDP in most years). Yet over half of rivers and substantial shares of drinking water systems violate standards, and polls for decades have listed water pollution as Americans’ number one environmental concern. We assess the history, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act and obtain four main conclusions. First, water pollution has fallen since these laws were passed, in part due to their interventions. Second, investments made under these laws could be more cost effective. Third, most recent studies estimate benefits of cleaning up pollution in rivers and lakes that are less than the costs, though these studies may undercount several potentially important types of benefits. Analysis finds more positive net benefits of drinking water quality investments. Fourth, economic research and teaching on water pollution are relatively uncommon, as measured by samples of publications, conference presentations, and textbooks.

Demand for an Environmental Public Good in the Time of COVID-19: A Statewide Water Quality Referendum

“…This list is not exhaustive, but it does demonstrate that it is an active area of research. Finally, we also contribute to the long-standing literature on water quality valuation (Mitchell & Carson, 1981;Gramlich, 1986;Van Houtven et al, 2007;Griffiths et al, 2012;Johnston et al, 2017b;Keiser & Shapiro, 2019).…”

“…A copy of the survey is included in Supplementary Material.6 These changes may seem large in comparison toKeiser and Shapiro's (2019) estimate that in total, from 1972 to 2001, the share of waters safe for fishing in the U.S. grew by only 12 percentage points. Their estimates, however, are coarser than ours.…”

Sustainable Rust Belt Manufacturing: An Exploration of Emission Rates during the Enforcement Era of the Great Lakes Water Agreement Act (GLWQA)

“…Other pundits point out that the negative effects of climate change will hurt Great Lakes manufacturers more in the future than increased regulations in the present (Shin, 2013). However, contrary viewpoints say that regulations have gone too far and have inhibited efficient models of production (Beecher & Kalmbach, 2013;Keiser & Shapiro, 2019). A 2017 report noted that "the International Joint Commission, a US-Canadian panel that monitors Great Lakes water quality, states that efforts to clean up the lakes over 'the past 25 years are 'a mix of achievements and challenges'" (McCartney, 2017).…”

Lead in Drinking Water and Birth Outcomes: A Tale of Two Water Treatment Plants

“…We provide the first evidence on the impact of the Newark water crisis on birth outcomes. In the process, we add to the very limited evidence base on the adverse effects of water pollution, 7 and specifically on the effects of prenatal exposure to lead in drinking water-a dearth noted by Keiser and Shapiro (2019) and by the CDC in its report on lead exposure among pregnant women (CDC, 2010). 8 Even 6 Newark has a poverty rate of 28%, compared with the national average of 11.8% (sources: https: //www.census.gov/quickfacts/newarkcitynewjersey and https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/ PST045219, accessed on June 22, 2020).…”