Sacred Cars? Cost-Effective Regulation of Stationary and Nonstationary Pollution Sources

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2012
Volume: 4
Issue: 1
Pages: 98-126

Authors (3)

Meredith Fowlie (not in RePEc) Christopher R. Knittel (Massachusetts Institute of Tec...) Catherine Wolfram (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

For political and practical reasons, environmental regulations sometimes treat point-source polluters, such as power plants, differently from mobile-source polluters, such as vehicles. This paper measures the extent of this regulatory asymmetry in the case of nitrogen oxides (NO<sub>x</sub>), the most recalcitrant criteria air pollutant in the United States. We find significant differences in marginal abatement costs across source types: the marginal cost of reducing NO<sub>x</sub> from cars is less than half the marginal cost of reducing NO<sub>x</sub> from power plants. Our results measure the possible efficiency gains and distributional implications associated with increasing the sectoral scope of environmental regulations.(JEL Q53, Q58, R41)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:4:y:2012:i:1:p:98-126
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25