Note: RFF on the Issues will be on hiatus until 2014.
Cross-State Air Pollution
A “slim majority” of Supreme Court Justices appear in favor of federal regulations imposed by the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which addresses air pollution that drifts across borders. While opponents to the rule say that the US Environmental Protection Agency is overreaching and usurping states’ rights, others say the agency is trying to “serve as an ‘honest broker’ between competing state interests.”
In a recent Marketplace interview, RFF’s Dallas Burtraw notes that downwind areas that currently have poor air quality “typically will have more stringent requirements on facilities located in those states” than upwind areas that contribute to the problem. New regulations would impose greater costs on upwind states, but Burtraw points out that states in the Northeast are already paying a “hidden tax”—health impacts from being exposed to air pollution.
Post-Sandy Green Infrastructure
One year after Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey residents are making efforts to invest in environmentally sustainable storm protection. Oceanfront locals aim to “make the coast more resilient by using ‘soft’ infrastructure projects,” such as beach replenishment and wetland conservation, which also offer “recreational and other benefits that improve everyday life” for communities.
In a recent Resources article, RFF’s Anna Brittain writes: “Investing in green infrastructure may be worthwhile, even if more costly than traditional approaches, because the social and environmental benefits may exceed the additional costs.” Research in RFF’s Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth focuses on a variety of ways to build resilience through green infrastructure—read more here.
