THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISIONS: THE CASE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

The issue of solid waste management has risen to national prominence in the last decade, fueled by increasing waste disposal costs and changing public attitudes. This situation presents a major opportunity for economists to use their applied microeconomics skills to assist state and local governments manage waste in a cost effective fashion. While findings from formal research efforts may ultimately make their way into the decision-making process, perhaps economists can play an even more significant role in emphasizing the importance of the most basic economic concepts and principles for sound decision making in solid waste management or the many other areas in which local public choices are made. These areas would include at least the following: opportunity cost, marginal analysis of costs and benefits, and the role of economic incentives.Public Economics,

ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS: A STUDY OF SEVEN WESTERN COUNTIES

Impacts of energy development on the secondary business sector of development-impacted counties are examined in a survey of seven western counties. Problems experienced by businesses in attracting and retaining qualified employees and in expanding to take advantage of growing markets are evaluated. Characteristics of private and public sector employees and their implications for community planning are discussed.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

Impacts of Energy Development on Secondary Labor Markets: A Study of Seven Western Counties

This study attempts to determine key characteristics of these secondary workers in seven counties of four states, and the implications that the results of these surveys have on planning for socioeconomic impact management.Labor and Human Capital, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Impacts of Energy Development on Mercer County, North Dakota

This study examines the efforts of Mercer County, North Dakota to deal with the impacts of several large-scale facilities constructed and under construction near Beulah, the county's largest city. The county has, thus far, adjusted well. The lessons of Mercer County may, therefore, be useful in planning for future growth in other communities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

PROTEST BIDDERS IN CONTINGENT VALUATION

Protest bids are often excluded during analysis of contingent valuation method data. It is suggested that this procedure might introduce significant bias. Protest bids are often registered by respondents who may actually place a higher- or lower-than-average value on the commodity in question but refuse to pay on the basis of ethical or other reasons. Exclusion of protest bids may therefore bias willingness to pay (WTP) results, but the direction of bias is indeterminate a priori.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Electricity deregulation and the valuation of visibility loss in wilderness areas: A research note.

Visibility in most wilderness areas in the northeastern United States has declined substantially since the 1970s. As noted by Hill et al. (2000), despite the 1977 Clean Air Act and subsequent amendments, human induced smog conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Average visibility in class I airsheds, such as the Great Gulf Wilderness in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is now about one-third of natural conditions. A particular concern is that deregulation of electricity production could result in further degradation because consumers may switch to lower cost fossil fuel generation (Harper 2000). To the extent that this system reduces electricity costs, it may also affect firm location decisions (Halstead and Deller 1997). Yet, little is known about the extent to which consumers are likely to make tradeoffs between electric bills and reduced visibility in nearby wilderness areas. This applied research uses a contingent valuation approach in an empirical case study of consumers’ tradeoffs between cheaper electric bills and reduced visibility in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. We also examine some of the problems associated with uncertainty with this type of analysis; that is, how confident respondents are in their answers to the valuation questions. Finally, policy implications of decreased visibility due to electricity deregulation are discussed

Oxidation of Ferrocene Derivatives with Dibenzoyl Peroxide and Meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic Acid

The chemical oxidation of ferrocene and related derivatives (RFc) via organic peroxides solvated in acetonitrile was studied spectrophotometrically by varying concentration and temperature to determine kinetics and activation parameters. The reaction rate of ferrocene with dibenzoyl peroxide depends strongly on whether electron withdrawing or donating substituents are present. Products were analyzed and the effect of different solvents on reactivity were studied. The rate law was first order in both oxidant and reductant, and steric and solvent effects are consistent with outer sphere electron transfer (ET) as the rate-controlling step. B3YLP calculations were conducted to determine reorganization energies using Marcus theory and to examine molecular geometry and steric considerations