In the past two decades, rapid population and economic growth on the U.S.–Mexico border has spurred a dramatic increase in electricity demand. In response, American energy multinationals have built power plants just south of the border that sell most of their electricity to the United States. This development has heightened concern about border area’s already-poor air quality because these plants effectively skirt U.S. environmental regulations. Yet to our knowledge, this concern has not been subjected to rigorous scrutiny. This paper uses a suite of air dispersion, health impacts, and valuation models to assess the benefits of offsetting polluting emissions from two power-exporting plants inMexicali, Baja California. We find that these plants have extensive health impacts, including more than 1.9 short-term mortalities and hundreds of respiratory hospital admissions per year, which we value atalmost US$8 million. The vast majority of these health impacts are associated with ozone pollution in the United States caused by one of the two plants’ emissions. These findings bolster the case for changingU.S. law either to require power-exporting plants to reduce or offset their emissions or to provide incentives for them to do so.
Previous publication:
Use of Anthropometric Measures to Analyze How Sources of Water and Sanitation Affect Children’s Health in Nigeria
Next publication:
On the Economic Analysis of Regulations at Independent Regulatory Commissions: Would Greater Use of Economic Analysis Improve Regulatory Policy at Independent Regulatory Commissions?
Health Impacts of Power-Exporting Plants in Northern Mexico
Working Paper by Allen Blackman, Santosh Chandru, Alberto Mendoza-Domínguez, and Armistead Russell — 1 minute read — April 12, 2011
Authors
Related Content
Working Paper — Aug 11, 2021
Effects of 2017 US Federal Tax Overhaul on the Energy Sector
An examination of the effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) on the US energy sector.
Report — Aug 4, 2021
Leading by Example: Building Performance Standards for Decarbonizing Federal Buildings
This report considers the options for implementing a building performance standard across a broader scope of buildings and geography than a single city or state: federally owned or leased buildings, which comprise 1 billion square feet across the country.
Press Release — Aug 4, 2021
Laying the Foundation for a Sound Federal Building Performance Standard
A new paper coauthored by researchers at Resources for the Future outlines design options—and their pros and cons—for a federal building performance standard that could serve as a blueprint for city-wide or regional standards across the country.