Nonpecuniary costs of automobile emissions standards

Journal Article · · Rand J. Econ.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/2555505· OSTI ID:6236958

Bresnahan, T F; Yao, D A

An important component of the costs of automotive air-pollution control has been nonpecuniary: a decline in vehicle performance characteristics. This regulatory impact on what the auto industry calls drivability has never been quantified, although there is considerable reason to believe that it has been a major component of the costs of some of the auto emissions standards of the last decade. The authors develop a methodology for econometric assessment of such costs, and apply it to the automobile air pollution standards of 1972-1981. They find that these costs are important. For the first standards implemented in the 1970s, they exceeded the costs of pollution control equipment installed on the car and the costs of decreased fuel efficiency. Since then, however, advances in compliance technology have allowed increases in automobile quality so that incremental costs of recent standards are much lower than previously believed. 24 references, 6 tables.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA
• OSTI ID: 6236958
• Journal Information: Rand J. Econ.; (United States), Journal Name: Rand J. Econ.; (United States) Vol. 16:4; ISSN RJECE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
500600* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Regulations-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
AUTOMOBILES
CLEAN AIR ACT
CONTROL
ECONOMETRICS
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ECONOMICS
EXHAUST GASES
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
LAWS
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION LAWS
STANDARDS
VEHICLES
WASTES