Air Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Development in Pennsylvania

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Year: 2023
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Pages: 447 - 486

Authors (6)

Ruohao Zhang (not in RePEc) Huan Li (not in RePEc) Neha Khanna (not in RePEc) Alan J. Krupnick (not in RePEc) Elaine L. Hill (National Bureau of Economic Re...) Daniel M. Sullivan (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 6 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We estimate the impact of shale gas development on particulate matter pollution using a quasi-experimental setting in Pennsylvania where some wells were developed to produce natural gas whereas other wells were permitted but not drilled. In doing so, we utilize a novel empirical approach drawing upon insights from atmospheric chemistry to account for windblown pollution spillovers in a difference-in-differences framework. Utilizing a high frequency, high resolution satellite-based measure of PM pollution between 2000 and 2018, we identify causal increases in PM2.5 concentration ranging from 0.017 μg/m3 to 0.062 μg/m3 in the vicinity of over 20,000 wells, resulting in approximately 20 additional deaths between 2010 and 2017.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jaerec:doi:10.1086/721430
Journal Field
Environment
Author Count
6
Added to Database
2026-02-02