Fundamental Flaws of Social Regulation: The Case of Airplane Noise

The growing concern about the cost-effectiveness of social regulations has spurred Senators Fred Thompson and Carl Levin to introduce legislation requiring federal regulatory agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of every regulation with an annual economic impact greater than $100 million. But while this legislation appears to be a step in the right direction, it fails to address an issue that is even more important than the balancing of regulatory costs and benefits. The fundamental economic criteria for evaluating any public policy is whether it maximizes social net benefits. Given that social regulations are, in principle, designed to reduce welfare losses caused by externalities or threats to human health and safety, the first step for regulators is to know whether the (alleged) market failure is sufficiently costly to justify government intervention and whether a proposed regulation is the most efficient way to correct the market failure. The paper studies the regulatory battle over airplane noise to illustrate how addressing these questions can improve regulatory policy by targeting government action where it is needed. The 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) mandated the elimination of certain (Stage II) aircraft at all U.S. airports by the end of 1999. The ANCA therefore affected aircraft design and generated benefits to homeowners who live in areas affected by airplane noise, but it has also generated costs to airlines by reducing the economic life of their capital stock. Surprisingly, analysts have not addressed the basic question of whether the benefits of the ANCA, arguably the most important piece of airplane noise regulation to date, exceed its costs. Our own cost-benefit analysis of the ANCA finds that its$5 billion (present discounted value) in benefits fall considerably short of its $10 billion costs. More fundamentally, we find that the net benefits that could have been generated even by an economically optimal airplane noise tax amount to only$0.2 billion (present value). Just as the ANCA has done, an optimal noise policy would transfer wealth from airlines and travelers to homeownersCalthough to a much smaller extent. It appears that current FAA noise regulations have generated substantial costs to society when, in fact, there was little justification on efficiency grounds for any regulatory intervention in the first place. A solid analytical foundation for social regulation will preclude criticism of its cost-effectiveness.

Agent Satisfaction with Extension Publications: An Exploratory Study

In this age of high speed, electronic communication technologies, Extension bulletins and fact sheets are often regarded as less important or desirable than the new high-tech delivery systems. Yet studies of audiences, ranging from groups like farmers to the general public, find that publications are generally the most frequently mentioned source of Extension information. In fact, some studies report that publications are the preferred source of educational information from Cooperative Extension (Yarbrough. 1987)

Factors Influencing Willingness-to-Pay for the Energy Star Label

In the United States, nearly 17 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from residential energy use. Increases in energy efficiency for the residential sector can generate significant energy savings and emissions reductions. Consumer labels, such as USEPA’s Energy Star, promote conservation by providing consumers with information on energy usage for household appliances. This study examines how the Energy Star label affects consumer preferences for refrigerators. An online survey of a national sample of adults suggest that consumers are, on average, willing to pay an extra $249.82 to$349.30 for a refrigerator that has been awarded the Energy Star label. Furthermore, the results provide evidence that willingness to pay was motivated by both private (energy cost savings) and public (environmental) benefits.Energy Star, willingness-to-pay, eco-label, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Analisis Kinerja Coolant Pada Radiator

This research learn about characteristic of radiator coolant effectiveness, which are influenced by flow rate, density, and fluid viscosity. Experimental method is used to get parameters: such as coolant temperature, air temperature and flow rate. This study use ɛ-NTU method to analyze the data. The results of coolant A, B, and water have effectiveness of 40%, 37%, and 36% respectively, it is caused by coolant A have the biggest Universal coefficient number and convection coefficient number are compared with coolant B and water

A Study on Atmospheric and Oceanic Processes in the North Indian Ocean

Studies on oceanic and atmospheric processes in the Indian Ocean are an active and important area of scientific research. Understanding how intraseasonal and interannual variations impact both the ocean and atmosphere will aid in delineating potential feedback mechanisms and global teleconnections. Thanks to recent efforts focused on expanding observational capabilities and developing models for this region, researchers have been able to begin investigating atmospheric and oceanic processes in the Indian Ocean. This study focuses on the impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on tropical cyclone activity over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and on developing a method for estimating the barrier layer thickness (BLT) in the Indian Ocean from satellite observations. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP-2) and Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis data are used to investigate the alterations in atmospheric and oceanic conditions that impact tropical cyclones during ENSO events over a 33-year time frame (1979-2011). Atmospheric conditions are shown to be more favorable for tropical cyclone development during La Niña over the BoB due to the favorable alteration of large-scale wind, moisture, and vorticity distributions. By combining multiple satellite observations, including the recently launched Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Aquarius SAC-D salinity missions, BLT estimates for the Indian Ocean are generated with the use of a multilinear regression model (MRM). The performance of the MRM is evaluated for the Southeast Arabian Sea (SEAS), Bay of Bengal (BoB), and Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) where barrier layer formation is most rigorous. Results from the MRM suggest that salinity measurements obtained from Aquarius and SMOS can be useful for tracking and predicting the BLT in the Indian Ocean

Potential for Development of an Escherichia coli—Based Biosensor for Assessing Bioavailable Methionine: A Review

Methionine is an essential amino acid for animals and is typically considered one of the first limiting amino acids in animal feed formulations. Methionine deficiency or excess in animal diets can lead to sub-optimal animal performance and increased environmental pollution, which necessitates its accurate quantification and proper dosage in animal rations. Animal bioassays are the current industry standard to quantify methionine bioavailability. However, animal-based assays are not only time consuming, but expensive and are becoming more scrutinized by governmental regulations. In addition, a variety of artifacts can hinder the variability and time efficacy of these assays. Microbiological assays, which are based on a microbial response to external supplementation of a particular nutrient such as methionine, appear to be attractive potential alternatives to the already established standards. They are rapid and inexpensive in vitro assays which are characterized with relatively accurate and consistent estimation of digestible methionine in feeds and feed ingredients. The current review discusses the potential to develop Escherichia coli-based microbial biosensors for methionine bioavailability quantification. Methionine biosynthesis and regulation pathways are overviewed in relation to genetic manipulation required for the generation of a respective methionine auxotroph that could be practical for a routine bioassay. A prospective utilization of Escherichia coli methionine biosensor would allow for inexpensive and rapid methionine quantification and ultimately enable timely assessment of nutritional profiles of feedstuffs

Particulate matter sinking to the deep-sea floor at 2000 M in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas, with a description of a new sedimentation trap

Originally published in Journal of Marine Research 34 (1976): 341-354A sedimentation trap for use just above the deep-sea floor was free-fallen to a depth of 2050 m in the Tongue of the Ocean canyon on January 3, 1974. On March 6, it was successfully recovered with the assistance of D.S.R.V. Alvin. The trap has a base 1 m square and a height of 30 cm. At the trap bottom are filters to retain falling particles. Two spring-powered sliding doors, each 1 m x 0.5 m, are used to close off the lower 2 cm of the trap during ascent to prevent disturbance of the particles collected on the filters. Total carbon on the filters as determined by high temperature combustion averaged 2301 mgC/m2 or an average on a daily basis of 36.5 mgC/m2. Similar filter aliquots were treated with cold phosphoric acid to eliminate the inorganic fraction. The resulting carbon values (X =: 5.7 mgC/m2/day) suggest 14% of the total carbon reaching the sea floor at 2000 m in this area is organic in origin. Fecal material is one readily identifiable component of the material contributing to the organic fraction. Counts of fecal pellets resulted in an estimate of an average of ~650 pellets/m2/day. Average pellet length was 241 μm and diameter was 109 μm. In laboratory experiments the pellets sank at rates varying from 50 m/day to 941 m/day (X at 5°C =159 m/day). Comparison of the sedimentation trap estimates of organic carbon input to the sea floor in this area with benthic energy requirements indicates that rapidly sinking small particulate matter could supply approximately 14% of the metabolic requirements of the benthos.Prepared for the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-66-C-0241; NR 083-004 and the Atlantic Foundation