Fracking, Coal, and Air Quality

Johnsen, Reid; LaRiviere, Jacob; Wolff, Hendrik

doi:10.1086/704888

Cited by 26 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Our research follows more closely to recent papers by Jha and Muller (2018) and Johnsen et al (2019). Jha and Muller consider the local air pollution cost of coal storage and handling by U.S. power plants.…”

Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 94%

“…For example, prior research has found higher mortality risk from exposure to PM 2.5 (National Research Council, 2010;Muller et al, 2011;Muller, 2014). While others have investigated effects of the rise of natural gas via hydraulic fracturing (Johnsen et al, 2019) and stockpiles of coal (Jha and Muller, 2018) on local particulate matter, no research that we are aware of, has directly estimated the effect of coal power plant closure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Natural gas is already displacing coal in power generation because of the shale revolution in the United States. Between 2007 and 2012 it is estimated that abundant natural gas displaced 28 percent of coal-generated electricity (Johnsen et al, 2019). In 2018 over 60 percent of electric generating capacity installed was fueled by natural gas, while nearly 70 percent of retired capacity was fueled by coal (Energy Information Administration, 2019b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Death of Coal and Breath of Life: The Effect of Power Plant Closure on Local Air Quality

Brown¹,

Tousey²

2020

RWP

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The number of U.S. coal-fired power plants declined by nearly 250 between 2001 and 2018. Given that burning coal generates large amounts of particulate matter is known to have adverse health effects, closure of coal-fired power plants should improve local air quality. Using spatial panel data from air quality monitor stations and coal-fired power plants, we estimate the relationship between plant closure and local air quality. We find that on average, the levels of particulate matter within 25 and 50 mile buffers around air quality monitors declined between 7 and 14 percent with each closure. We estimate that the event of closure is associated with a 0.6 percent decline in local mortality probabilities. On a value of statistical life basis, the median local benefit of coal power plant closure ranged between $1 and $4 billion or 5 to 15 percent of local GDP since the early 2000s.

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Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Death of Coal and Breath of Life: The Effect of Power Plant Closure on Local Air Quality

Brown¹,

Tousey²

2020

RWP

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“…Several recent studies seek to understand the effects of low natural gas prices on electricity generation and emissions (Knittel, Metaxoglou, and Trindade, 2015;Cullen and Mansur, 2017;Holladay and LaRiviere, 2017;Linn and Muehlenbachs, 2018;Johnsen, LaRiviere, and Wolff 2019). A few studies seek to understand the effects of a broader set of factors-including natural gas prices, environmental regulations, and renewables, among others-on a variety of coal and electricity market outcomes (Houser, Bordoff, and Marsten, 2017;Linn and McCormack, 2017;U.S.…”

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Fuel Prices, Environmental Regulations, and Other Factors on U.S. Coal Production, 2008-2016

Coglianese¹,

Gerarden²,

Stock³

2020

The Energy Journal

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We decompose the decline in coal production from 2008 to 2016 into the contributions of several sources. In particular, we estimate the effects of declining natural gas prices and the introduction of new environmental regulations along with several other factors, using both monthly state-level data and annual information on coal plant closings. We estimate that the declining price of natural gas relative to coal is responsible for 92 percent of the total decline in coal production over this period and that environmental regulations account for an additional six percent, with other factors making small and offsetting contributions.

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“…The Shale Revolution has transformed North American and global energy markets. It has reduced energy prices (Hausman andKellogg 2015, Kilian 2016); shifted electricity production from coal toward natural gas, reducing local and regional air pollution (Johnsen et al 2019); provided a source of employment and income during the Great Recession (Feyrer et al 2017); and allowed the US to approach the point at which it exports more energy than it imports (EIA 2018) 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emissions in the stream: estimating the greenhouse gas impacts of an oil and gas boom

Waxman

Khomaini

Leibowicz

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The Shale Revolution has stimulated a large and rapid buildout of oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf and Southwest regions of the United States (US), expected to unfold over decades. Therefore, it is critical to develop a clearer understanding of the scale and composition of the likely greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with this activity. We compile a detailed inventory of projected upstream oil and gas production expansions as well as recently and soon-to-be built midstream and downstream facilities within the region. Using data from emissions permits, emissions factors, and facility capacities, we estimate expected GHG emissions at the facility level for facilities that have recently been constructed or are soon to be constructed. Our central estimate suggests that the total annual emissions impact of the regional oil and gas infrastructure buildout may reach 541 million tons of CO 2 equivalent (CO 2 e) by 2030, which is more than 8% of total US GHG emissions in 2017 and roughly equivalent to the emissions of 131 coal-fired power plants. A substantial fraction of the projected emissions come from petrochemical facilities (38%) and liquefied natural gas terminals (19%). Researchers have largely focused on upstream emissions such as fugitive methane (CH 4 ) associated with new US production; our findings reveal the potentially greater prominence of midstream and downstream sources in the studied region.

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Fracking, Coal, and Air Quality

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

Death of Coal and Breath of Life: The Effect of Power Plant Closure on Local Air Quality

Death of Coal and Breath of Life: The Effect of Power Plant Closure on Local Air Quality

The Effects of Fuel Prices, Environmental Regulations, and Other Factors on U.S. Coal Production, 2008-2016

Emissions in the stream: estimating the greenhouse gas impacts of an oil and gas boom

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