The effectiveness of the voluntary 33/50 program in inducing adoption of pollution prevention techniques and toxic release reduction

This dissertation consists of three essays that empirically investigate the role of regulatory pressures, voluntary 33/50 program and information spillover on firms’ environmental performance. First, we examine the extent to which participating in the 33/50 program led to a reduction in 33/50 releases. Second, we examine the extent to which program participation motivated the adoption of Pollution Prevention (P2) technology, and whether learning from peers increased the adoption of P2 technology by a facility after controlling for the effects of program participation and regulatory pressures. Last, we examine the extent to which program participation caused an increase in recycling and whether the adoption of P2 technology was inversely related to changes in recycling and releases of 33/50 chemicals. To answer these questions, we use facility-level information on program participation, toxic emissions and P2 adoption for more than 7000 facilities that were eligible for the program over the period of 1988-1995. We find that program participants had 14.8% to 23.7% higher rate of reduction in 33/50 releases than non-participants, after controlling for industry effects, time trend and other regulatory pressures. We also find that program participants on average adopted 1-1.2 more P2 technologies than non-participants for 33/50 chemicals, but did not significantly increase the number of P2 technologies adopted for other TRI chemicals. Additionally, the adoption of P2 was positively affected by information spillovers from other facilities in the same industry. Although program participants adopted more P2 technologies for 33/50 chemicals, the effects of P2 on recycling and releases of 33/50 chemicals were not statistically significant.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Bi, Xiang

Contributors dc:contributor

• Khanna, Madhu
• Ando, Amy W.
• Nelson, Charles H.
• Deltas, George

• 33/50 program
• environmental policy
• pollution prevention
• toxic releases
• recycling

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Xiang Bi

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24327

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/24327