Final report, Upper Gunnison basin in-stream flow project

Includes bibliographical references.This is the final report for a project funded by the Ford Foundation, the purpose of which was to measure the value of the water flows in, and the habitats affected by water flows in the East and the Taylor Rivers near Gunnison, Colorado. Motivation for the study arose from public controversy over the proposed transmountain diversion of water from these streams to municipalities near Denver. The main goal of the study was to estimate a total uncompensated value of resource services lost if water flowing in the upper Gunnison River were diverted by one of two proposed projects. Estimated values include both market and non-market values

Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River Storage Project, Arizona: the short-run economic cost of environmental constraints on hydropower operations

41 pages (PDF version)

Fiscal impacts of large developments on small communities

4 p.; 28 cm

Assessing the Short-Run Economic Cost of Environmental Constraints on Hydropower Operations at Glen Canyon Dam

Environmental externalities resulting from the construction and operation of a number of hydropower plants are now being reexamined. The focus of many recent analyses is on identifying new, often more restrictive, operational regimes which will improve downstream environmental conditions. These new regimes may create significant market and nonmarket benefits but constraints on hydropower operations frequently lead to economic costs. This paper introduces an hourly constrained optimization framework for estimating the short-run costs of restricting hydropower operations. Glen Canyon Dam, on the Colorado River in Arizona, is used as a case study. Newly available marketbased prices are employed.

Date Contents

The U. S. Department of the Interior protects America’s natural resources and heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities, and supplies the energy to power our future. The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public

Unit Non-Response Bias in the Interval Data Model

A mail survey was administered to a panel of Colorado consumers to obtain estimates of willingness to pay (WTP) for preserving Union Park. Detailed socioeconomic data for all surveyed individuals was available a priori. We develop and employ the multiple-bounded probit with selection (MBPS) model, to correct for non-response and self-selection bias. Statistical tests indicate estimates of WTP corrected for these biases are significantly higher than uncorrected estimates. The use of selection models requires an additional investment by researchers. These investments may be warranted for policy relevant studies.

Is the Bias - Efficiency Estimation Tradeoffs in Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice CVM Less Pronounced Using Visitor Survey Data?

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,