In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Elaine Hill, an associate professor at the University of Rochester, about a recent study that examines the effects of hazardous-waste cleanup on local communities. Hill discusses whether a particular federal cleanup program—the Corrective Action Program established under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act—benefits the residents it intends to help, or if it instead may lead to higher housing prices that could push lower-income residents out of their communities.

References and recommendations:

“Who Benefits from Hazardous Waste Cleanups? Evidence from the Housing Market” by Alecia W. Cassidy, Elaine L. Hill, and Lala Ma; https://www.nber.org/papers/w30661

“Moving Beyond Cleanup: Idnetifying the Crucibles of Environmental Gentrification” by H. Spencer Banzhaf and Eleanor McCormick; https://www.epa.gov/environmental-economics/working-paper-moving-beyond-cleanup-identifying-crucibles-environmental

“The Economics of Environmental Justice, with Samuel Stolper and Catherine Hausman” on Resources Radio; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/economics-environmental-justice-samuel-stolper-and-catherine-hausman/

“Inequality, Information Failures, and Air Pollution” by Catherine Hausman and Samuel Stolper; https://www.nber.org/papers/w26682

“Sorting over flood risk and implications for policy reform” by Laura A. Bakkensen and Lala Ma; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0095069620300851

“Scene On Radio” podcast, Season 5, The Repair series; https://www.sceneonradio.org/the-repair/