Environmental Regulations and Industrial Competitiveness: Case Studies of Toxic Industries in Southern California (Environment & Policy, 62)

"While polluting industries in the U.S. continue to emit billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, land and water every year, many economists and policy makers argue that environmental regulations stifle economic growth and reduce the standard of living for the American people. This book takes a fresh look at this question through three case studies of highly regulated polluting industries in the Southern California region: metal finishing, wood furniture, and dry cleaning. The case studies are based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, including in-depth interviews with corporate managers and environmental regulators. The authors find that there is no universal pattern for predicting the effects of environmental regulations on industrial competitiveness, but that the outcomes depend on the structure of the industry being regulated, the design of the regulations, and the technologies that are available for compliance. The book is written in straight forward language that is accessible to the non-economist and will prove an essential resource for academics and students of all levels, and professionals and policy makers in the fields of environmental policy and regional economic development"--Back cover Acknowledgments 7 Contents 8 Chapter 1: Environmental Regulations and Industrial Competitiveness 10 Introduction 10 Conceptual and Methodological Issues 13 Research Methods 17 Concluding Remarks 19 References 19 Chapter 2: Policy Background: The South Coast Air Quality Management District 22 Introduction 22 The Emergence of Air Pollution in Los Angeles 23 The Clean Air Act of 1970 27 The AQMD 28 References 31 Chapter 3: The Metal Finishing Industry and Economic Growth 33 Introduction 33 The Empirical Literature 35 The Metal Finishing Industry and Hexavalent Chromium 37 Regulatory Impacts on the Metal Finishing Industry in Southern California 41 Conclusion 45 References 46 Chapter 4: The Wood Furniture Industry and Industrial Location 50 Introduction 51 Review of the Literature 53 Evidence of Wood Furniture Relocations 55 Intervening Factors 57 Adjustment to Rule 1136 60 Isolating the Effects of Rule 1136 62 Conclusion 64 References 64 Chapter 5: The Dry-Cleaning Industry and the Early Adopters of Pollution-Prevention Technologies 67 Introduction 67 Background 69 Firm and Market Characteristics 71 Bivariate Analysis 73 Multivariate Analysis 75 Conclusion 77 References 79 Chapter 6: Conclusion: Implications for Environmental Policy 82 Introduction 82 The Environmental Policy Dilemma 83 Approaches to US Environmental Policy 84 Policy Implications of the Case Studies 85 Final Thoughts 88 References 88 Index 90