Biography
Karen Palmer is the director of RFF's Electricity and Environment Program. She specializes in the economics of environmental regulation and of public utility regulation. Her research interests include electricity restructuring, environmental regulation of the electricity sector, and the cost effectiveness of energy efficiency programs. Her most recent work has focused on renewable energy and controls of multi-pollutants and carbon emissions from electrical generating plants. She has done extensive work analyzing different aspects of policy design for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. She is a co-author of the book Alternating Currents: Electricity Markets and Public Policy, published by RFF Press in 2002. Palmer previously served as an economist in the Office of Economic Policy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Ph.D. in economics, Boston College, 1990.
B.A. in economics, Brandeis University, 1981.
Professional Experience
Darius Gaskins Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future, 2005 - present.
Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future, 1998 - present.
Fellow, Resources for the Future, Quality of the Environment Division, 1989 - 1998.
Economist, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Economic Policy, 1996 - 1997.
Tutor, Stanford in Washington, Environmental Economics, 1993 - 1994.
Teaching Fellow, Boston College, Economics Department, "Statistics," 1986 - 1989.
Consultant, PMA Communications Inc., 1987.
Consultant, Data Resources Inc., Interindustry Service, 1986.
Teaching Assistant, Boston College, Economics Department, graduate "Microeconomic Theory," 1986.
Economist, Data Resources Inc., Interindustry Service, 1981 - 1985.
Journal Articles
Economic and Energy Impacts from Participation
in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative:
A Case Study of the State of Maryland
Matthias Rutha, Steven Gabriel, Karen Palmer, Dallas Burtraw, Anthony Paul, Yishu Chen, Benjamin Hobbs, Daraius Irani, Jeffrey Michael, Kim Ross, Russell Conklin, Julia Miller Energy Policy
Modeling the Effects of Changes in New Source Review on National SO2 and NOx Emissions from Electricity-Generating Units
David A. Evans, Benjamin F. Hobbs, Craig Oren and Karen Palmer Environmental Science and Technology | forthcoming | Related Discussion Paper 07-01
Simple Rules for Targetting CO2 Allowance Allocation to Compensate Firms Karen Palmer, Dallas Burtraw, Danny Kahn Climate Policy | Related Discussion Paper 06-28
The Benefits and Costs of Reducing Emissions from the Electricity Sector Karen Palmer, Dallas Burtraw and Jhih-Shyang Shih Journal of Environmental Management | April 2007 | Vol. 83, No. 1. | pp. 115-130 Related Discussion Paper: 05-23
CO2 Allowance Allocation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Effect on Electricity Investors Dallas Burtraw, Danny Kahn and Karen Palmer The Electricity Journal | March 2006 | Related Discussion Paper 05-55
Retrospective Review of Energy Efficiency Policies Kenny Gillingham, Richard Newell, and Karen Palmer Annual Review of Environmenta and Resources | 2006 | 31 | pp. 161-192
Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Electricity Policies Karen Palmer and Dallas Burtraw Energy Economics | forthcoming | Related Discussion Paper 05-01
The Environmental Impacts of Electricity Restructuring: Looking Back and Looking Forward Karen Palmer and Dallas Burtraw Environment & Energy Law & Policy Journal, forthcoming
Economics of Pollution Trading for SO2 and NOx Dallas Burtraw, David A. Evans, Alan Krupnick, Karen Palmer, and Russel Toth Annual Review of Environment and Resources, forthcoming RFF Discussion Paper 05-05 (January)
Efficient Emission Fees in the U.S. Electric Sector Spencer Banzhaf, Dallas Burtraw, and Karen Palmer Resource and Energy Economics | September 2004 | Vol. 26, No. 3 | pp. 317 - 341 | Related Discussion Paper 02-45
Trading Cases: Is Trading Credits in Created Markets a Better Way to Reduce Pollution and Protect Natural Resources? Jim Boyd, Dallas Burtraw, Alan Krupnick, Virginia McConnell, Karen Palmer, Jim Sanchirico, and Margaret Walls Environmental Science and Technology | June 2003 | Vol. 37, No. 111 | pp. 217-233
Dealing with Electronic Waste: Modeling the Costs and Environmental Benefits of Computer Monitor Disposal Molly Macauley, Karen Palmer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih Journal of Environmental Management | May 2003 | Related Discussion Paper 01-27 (One of the top 25 most downloaded articles, October 2002 - October 2003 in Journal of Environmental Management, published by Elsevier)
Determinants of Household Recycling: A Material Specific Analysis of Unit Pricing and Recycling Program Attributes Robin Jenkins, Karen Palmer, Michael Podolsky, and Salvador Martinez Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | February 2003 | Related Discussion Paper 99-41-REV
Implementing Electricity Restructuring: Polices, Potholes and Prospects Timothy Brennan, Karen Palmer, and Salvador Martinez Environmental and Resource Economics | June 2002 | Vol. 22, Nos. 1 and 2 | pp. 99-132 | Related Discussion Paper 01-62
Ancillary Benefits of Reduced Air Pollution in the U.S. from Moderate Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Policies in the Electricity Sector Dallas Burtraw, Alan Krupnick, Karen Palmer, Anthony Paul, Mike Toman, and Cary Bloyd Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | July 2003 | Related Discussion Paper 01-61
The Effect on Asset Values of the Allocation of Carbon Dioxide Emission Allowances Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, Ranjit Bharvirkar, and Anthony Paul The Electricity Journal | June 2002 | Vol. 15, No. 5 | pp. 51-62 | Related Discussion Paper 02-15
Cost Effective Reduction of NOx Emissions from Electricity Generation Dallas Burtraw, Karen L. Palmer, Ranjit Bharvirkar, and Anthony Paul Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association | October 2001 | Vol. 51 | pp. 1476-1489 | Related Discussion Paper 00-55-REV
Upstream Pollution, Downstream Waste Disposal and the Design of Comprehensive Environmental Policies Margaret Walls and Karen Palmer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | February 2001 | Vol. 41 | pp. 94-108 | Related Discussion Paper 97-51-REV
SO2 Control by Electric Utilities: What are the Gains from Trade? Curtis Carlson, Dallas Burtraw, Maureen Cropper, and Karen L. Palmer Journal of Political Economy | December 2000 | Vol. 108, No. 6 | pp. 1292-1326 | Related Discussion Paper 98-44-REV
Winner, Loser or Innocent Victim: Has Renewable Energy Performed as Expected? James McVeigh, Dallas Burtraw, Joel Darmstadter, and Karen Palmer Solar Energy | Vol. 68, No. 3 | pp. 237-255 | Related Discussion Paper 99-28 (Also appeared as Research Report No. 7, Renewable Energy Project, Washington, March 1999.)
Renewables From Another Angle James McVeigh, Dallas Burtraw, Joel Darmstadter, and Karen L. Palmer Electric Perspectives | 2000 | Vol. 25, No. 2 | pp. 10-20
Assessing the Impact of Electricity Restructuring on the Environment in Maryland Diane Brown, Matt Kahal, Dallas Burtraw, Karen L. Palmer, Julie Ross, and Mark Garrison EM | August 1998
Environmental Regulation and Innovation: A Panel Data Study Adam Jaffe and Karen L. Palmer Review of Economics and Statistics | November 1997 | Vol. 79 | pp. 610-619
Electricity Restructuring: Environmental Impacts Karen L. Palmer Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy | Fall 1997 | Vol. 11 | pp. 28-33
Optimal Policies for Solid Waste Disposal: Taxes, Subsidies, and Standards Karen Palmer and Margaret Walls Journal of Public Economics | August 1997 | Vol. 65, No. 2 | pp. 193-205
The Costs of Reducing Municipal Solid Waste Karen Palmer, Hilary Sigman, and Margaret Walls Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | June 1997 | Vol. 33, No. 2 | pp. 128-150 | Related Discussion Paper 96-35
"Second-Best" Adjustments to Externality Estimates in Electricity Planning with Competition Dallas Burtraw, Karen L. Palmer, and Alan J. Krupnick Land Economics | May 1997 | Vol. 73, No. 2 | pp. 224-239 | Related Discussion Paper 96-04
Electricity Restructuring and Regional Air Pollution Karen L. Palmer and Dallas Burtraw Resources and Energy | March 1997 | Vol. 19, Nos.1-2 | pp. 139-174 | Related Discussion Paper 96-17-REV2
How Should An Accumulative Toxic Substance Be Banned? Michael A. Toman and Karen Palmer Environmental and Resource Economics | January 1997 | Vol. 9 | pp. 83-102
The Efficiency of Wholesale versus Retail Competition in Electricity Douglas R. Bohi and Karen L. Palmer The Electricity Journal | October 1996 | Vol. 9, No. 8 | pp. 12-20
Tightening Environmental Standards: The Benefit-Cost or the No-Cost Paradigm? Karen L. Palmer, Wallace E. Oates, and Paul R. Portney Journal of Economic Perspectives | Fall 1995 | Vol. 9 | pp. 119-132 Reprinted in R. Stavins, ed., Economics of the Environment, Selected Readings, Fourth Edition (New York : Norton), 2000, pp. 203-216.
Social Costing of Electricity in Maryland: Effects on Pollution, Investment and Prices Karen L. Palmer, Alan J. Krupnick, Hadi Dowlatabadi, and Stuart Siegel The Energy Journal | 1995 | Vol. 16 | pp. 1-26
Comparing the Costs and Benefits of Diversification by Regulated Firms Timothy J. Brennan and Karen L. Palmer Journal of Regulatory Economics | 1994 | Vol. 6, No. 2 | pp. 115-136
How Reliably Can Climate Change and Mitigation Policy Impacts on Electric Utilities be Assessed? Hadi Dowlatabadi, Robert Hahn, Raymond J. Kopp, Karen L. Palmer, and Diane DeWitt Utility Policy | July 1993 | Vol. 1 | pp. 261-268
Electricity Fuel Contracting: Relationships with Coal and Gas Suppliers Karen L. Palmer, R. David Simpson, Michael A. Toman, and Peter Fox-Penner Energy Policy | October 1993 | Vol. 21 | pp. 1045-1054
Implementing Social Costing in the Electric Utility Industry Karen L. Palmer and Hadi Dowlatabadi Energy and Environment | 1993 | Vol. 4 | pp. 197-220
A Test for Cross Subsidies in Local Telephone Rates: Do Business Customers Subsidize Residential Customers? Karen L. Palmer The RAND Journal of Economics | 1992 | Vol. 23 | pp. 415 - 431
Using an Upper Bound on Stand-Alone Cost in Tests of Cross-Subsidy Karen L. Palmer Economics Letters | 1991 | Vol. 35 | pp. 457-460
Diversification by Regulated Monopolies and Incentives for Cost-Reducing R&D Karen L. Palmer American Economic Review | 1991 | Vol. 81 | pp. 266-270
Sources of Structural Change in the United States, 1963-78: An Input-Output Perspective Stanley J. Feldman, David McClain, and Karen L. Palmer Review of Economics and Statistics | 1987 | Vol. 69 | pp. 503-510
Structural Change in the United States: Changing Input-Output Coefficients Stanley J. Feldman and Karen L. Palmer Business Economics | 1985 | Vol. 20 | pp. 39-54
Auction Design for Selling CO2 Emission Allowances Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Charles Holt, William Shobe, Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, Jacob Goeree NYSERDA | 10/26/07 Report to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
U.S. Climate Policies
Toshi Arimura, Karen Palmer, Dallas Burtraw (with Alan Krupnick) Mizuho Bank Group for METI, Japan | 3/15/07
New Source Review for Stationary Sources of Air Pollution
Karen Palmer Committee on Changes in New Source Review Programs for Stationary Sources of Air Pollution, National Research Council | 2006
State Innovation for Environmental Improvements: Experimental Federalism Winston Harrington, Karen Palmer, and Margaret Walls The RFF Reader in Environmental and Resource Policy, 2nd Edition | Wallace E. Oates, ed. | RFF Press | December 2005 | Chapter 22, pp. 123-128
Summary Communication: Reducing Emissions from the Electricity Sector: The Costs and Benefits Nationwide and in the Empire State
Karen Palmer, Dallas Burtraw and Jhih-Shyang Shih New York State Energy Research and Development Authority | October 2005
Cleaning Up Power Plant Emissions Dallas Burtraw and Karen L. Palmer New Approaches on Energy and the Environment: Policy Advice for the President | Richard D. Morgenstern and Paul R. Portney, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | Chapter 8
State Innovation for Environmental Improvements: Experimental Federalism Winston Harrington, Karen L. Palmer, and Margaret Walls New Approaches on Energy and the Environment: Policy Advice for the President | Richard D. Morgenstern and Paul R. Portney, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | Chapter 10
Toward an Integrated Theory of Open Economy Environmental and Trade Policy Karen L. Palmer, Arvind Panagariya, Wallace Oates, and Alan J. Krupnick Environmental Policy and Fiscal Federalism: Selected Essays of Wallace E. Oates | Wallace E. Oates, editor | : | 2004
SO2 Cap-and-Trade Program in the United States: A "Living Legend" of Market Effectiveness Dallas Burtraw and Karen Palmer Choosing Environmental Policy: Comparing Instruments andOutcomes in the Inited States and Europe | Winston Harrington, Richard D. Morgenstern, and Thomas Sterner, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | Chapter 2
A Comparison of the Effects of the Distribution of Emission Allowances for Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides and Carbon Dioxide
Dallas Burtraw and Karen Palmer EPA National Center for Environmental Research | May 2, 2003
Electricity Restructuring: Shortcut or Detour on the Road to Achieving Greenhouse Gas Reductions? Karen L. Palmer Climate Change Economics and Policy: An Anthology | Michael A. Toman, ed. | RFF Press | 2001
Electricity Restructuring: Consequences and Opportunities for the Environment Dallas Burtraw, Karen L. Palmer, and Martin Heintzelman International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics, 2001/2002 | Henk Folmer and Tom Tietenberg, eds. | Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd. | 2001
Recycling Jhih-Shyang Shih, Garrick Louis, and Karen L. Palmer Encyclopedia of Global Change | Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press | November/December 2000
Regional Impacts of Electricity Restructuring on Emissions of NOx and CO2
Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, and Anthony Paul State of Maryland, Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program (PPRP-123) | June 2000
The Social Costing Debate: Issues and Resolutions Dallas Burtraw, Hadi Dowlatabadi, Alan J. Krupnick, A. Myrick Freeman III, Karen L. Palmer, and Winston Harrington Social Costs of Energy: Present Status and Future Trends | O. Hohmeyer and R. Ottinger, eds. | Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag | 1994
Social Costing of Electricity and the Benefits of Demand Side Management Karen L. Palmer Regulatory Responses to Continuously Changing Industry Structures | Charles Stalon, ed. | East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press | 1993
Power Plant Fuel Supply Contracts: The Changing Nature of Long-Term Relationships
Karen Palmer, Peter Fox-Penner, R. David Simpson, and Michael A. Toman Public Utility Reports | 1992
Short Articles, Issue Briefs, and Other Publications
Valuation of Air Emissions from Livestock Operations and Options for Policy
Shih, Jhih-Shyang, Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer and Juha Siikamaki Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science | Ecological Society of America | Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science | Viney P. Aneja, William H. Schlesinger, Raymond Knighton, Greg Jennings, Dev Niyogi, Wendell Gilliam, and Clifford S. Duke | North Carolina State University | 6/5/06 | 327-340
Putting a Prod in Product Stewardship Karen L. Palmer and Margaret Walls Waste News (op-ed)
Capping Emissions: How Low Should We Go? Karen L. Palmer, Spencer Banzhaf, and Dallas Burtraw Public Utilities Fortnightly | December 2002 | Vol. 140, No. 2 | pp. 28-36
Proposed Regulation of Multiple Pollutants in Electricity Sector is Historic: But is it Sensible? Spencer Banzhaf, Dallas Burtraw, and Karen Palmer Resources | Summer 2002 | Issue 148 | pp. 2-5
On The Relative Efficiency Implications of Wholesale and Retail Competition in Electricity Douglas R. Bohi and Karen L. Palmer Report to National Renewable Energy Lab and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) | December 1995
The Social Benefits of Social Costing Research Alan J. Krupnick, Dallas Burtraw, and Karen L. Palmer The First Workshop on Energy Externalities: The External Costs of Energy | European Commission (EC), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Energy Agency (IEA) | Proceedings of the First EC/OECD/IEA Workshop on Energy Externalities: The External Costs of Energy | Brussels, Belgium: EC | 1995
Social Costing of Electricity in Maryland: Implications for Electricity Supply Energy Demand and Air Emissions Karen L. Palmer, Alan J. Krupnick, Hadi Dowlatabadi, and Stuart Siegel Report to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program | September 1994
Environmental Policy as Industrial Policy Karen L. Palmer and R. David Simpson Resources | Summer 1993 (112)
Economic Tools to Implement Sunsetting Karen L. Palmer First Binational Meeting on Sunsetting Hazards Chemicals in the Great Lakes Basin | First Binational Meeting on Sunsetting Hazards Chemicals in the Great Lakes Basin | Washington, D.C.: George Washington University | 1993
The Social Costing Debate: Issues and Resolutions Dallas Burtraw, Hadi Dowlatabadi, Alan J. Krupnick, A. Myrick Freeman III, Karen L. Palmer, and Winston Harrington International Conference | Social Costs of Energy: Present Status and Future Trends | O. Hohmeyer and R.L. Ottinger, eds. | Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag | 1994
Incentive-Based Approaches to Regulating Toxic Substances Molly K. Macauley and Karen L. Palmer Resources | Summer 1992 (108)
The Opportunity for Short Run Carbon Mitigation in the Electricity Sector Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer and Anthony Paul 1999 (Presented at the Air & Waste Management Association Conference, Tucson, AZ, January 1999.)
Assessing the Impact of Electricity Restructuring on the Environment in Maryland Dallas Burtraw, Diane Brown, Matthew Kahal, Karen Palmer, Julie Ross, and Mark Garrison 98-MP21.02(A483) | 1998 (Presented at the Air & Waste Management Association Conference, San Diego, CA, June 1998.)
The Cost of Reducing Municipal Solid Waste: Comparing Deposit-Refunds, Advance Disposal Fees, Recycling Subsidies, and Recycling Rate Standards Karen L. Palmer, Hilary Sigman, Margaret A. Walls, Ken Harrison, and Steve Puller RFF Discussion Paper 95-33 | July 1995 | Abstract An electronic version of this report is not available.
Environmental Regulation and International Competitiveness: Thinking About the Porter Hypothesis Wallace E. Oates, Karen L. Palmer, and Paul R. Portney RFF Discussion Paper 94-02 | January 1994
Selected Presentations
Allowance Allocation and other CO2 Policy Design Issues for the Electricity Sector Karen Palmer ELCON Winter Workshop | Electricity Consumers Resource Council (ELCON) | Las Vegas, Nevada | February 5, 2008
Awards
Phi Beta Kappa, Brandeis University, 1981.
Darius Gaskins Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future, 2005 - 2008
Professional Activities
Committee Memberships: Member, New York Independent System Operator Environmental Advisory Council, 2004 - present. Member, National Regulatory Research Institute Research Advisory Committee, 1998 - 2001. Secretary, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE), 1994 - 1999. Secretary/Treasurer, Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, 1993 - 1996.
Expert Reviewer: Transmission Data and Analysis Study, Energy Information Administration, 2003 Studies of Multiple Pollutant Control, Energy Information Administration, 2001.
Lecturer: U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Environmental Economics," November 1998.
Consultant: U.S. Energy Information Administration Louisana State University Center for Energy Studies New York Power Pool Florida Power and Light Company Hawaii Natural Energy Institute Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Reviewer: National Energy Modeling System, Energy Information Administration, 1997.
Journal Referee: The National Science Foundation The RAND Journal of Economics Resource and Energy Economics Economic Inquiry The Journal of Industrial Economics The Journal of Regulatory Economics Journal of Public Economics Journal of Environmental Economics and Management Land Economics Journal of Economic Management and Strategy The Energy Journal Review of Economics and Statistics Berkeley Electronic Journals in Economic Analysis and Policy Policy Sciences Environmental Science and Technology Contemporary Economic Policy Energy Economics Environment and Development
Public Service
Panels and Symposiums: Member, National Research Council Committee on the Effects of Changes in New Source Review Programs for Stationary Sources of Air Pollutants, 2004 - 2005. Participant, Center for Advancement of Energy Markets, Default Provider Forum, 2002 - 2003. Alternate, National Electronics Products Stewardship Initiative, 2001 - 2003. Participant, Center for Clean Air Policy Restructuring and Air Quality Dialogue, 1998 - 2001. Participant, Stanford Energy Modeling Forum 17, Prices and Emissions in a Restructured Electricity Market, 1998 - 2001. Participant, Consumer Energy Council of America Research Foundation, Forum on Electricity Restructuring, 1996 - 1998. Participant, Stanford Energy Modeling Forum 15, A Competitive Electricity Industry, 1996 - 1998. Chairperson, Organizing Committee of the 21st Annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, 1993. Member, Organizing Committee of the 19th and 20th Annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conferences, 1991, 1992.
