Air Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Development in Pennsylvania

Ruohao Zhang; Huan Li; Neha Khanna; Alan J. Krupnick; Elaine L. Hill; Daniel M. Sullivan

doi:10.1086/721430

Air Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Development in Pennsylvania

Ruohao Zhang, Huan Li, Neha Khanna, Alan J. Krupnick, Elaine L. Hill, Daniel M. Sullivan

Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

We estimate the impact of shale gas development on particulate matter pollution using a quasi-experimental setting in Pennsylvania where some wells were devel-oped to produce natural gas whereas other wells were permitted but not drilled. In do-ing so, we utilize a novel empirical approach drawing upon insights from atmospheric chemistry to account for windblown pollution spillovers in a difference-in-differences framework. Utilizing a high frequency, high resolution satellite-based measure of PM pollution between 2000 and 2018, we identify causal increases in PM_2.5 concentration ranging from 0.017 mg/m³ to 0.062 mg/m³ in the vicinity of over 20,000 wells, result-ing in approximately 20 additional deaths between 2010 and 2017.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	447-486
Number of pages	40
Journal	Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Volume	10
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/721430
State	Published - Mar 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Economics and Econometrics
Nature and Landscape Conservation
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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10.1086/721430

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title = "Air Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Development in Pennsylvania",

abstract = "We estimate the impact of shale gas development on particulate matter pollution using a quasi-experimental setting in Pennsylvania where some wells were devel-oped to produce natural gas whereas other wells were permitted but not drilled. In do-ing so, we utilize a novel empirical approach drawing upon insights from atmospheric chemistry to account for windblown pollution spillovers in a difference-in-differences framework. Utilizing a high frequency, high resolution satellite-based measure of PM pollution between 2000 and 2018, we identify causal increases in PM2.5 concentration ranging from 0.017 mg/m3 to 0.062 mg/m3 in the vicinity of over 20,000 wells, result-ing in approximately 20 additional deaths between 2010 and 2017.",

author = "Ruohao Zhang and Huan Li and Neha Khanna and Krupnick, {Alan J.} and Hill, {Elaine L.} and Sullivan, {Daniel M.}",

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AU - Zhang, Ruohao

AU - Li, Huan

AU - Khanna, Neha

AU - Krupnick, Alan J.

AU - Hill, Elaine L.

AU - Sullivan, Daniel M.

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - We estimate the impact of shale gas development on particulate matter pollution using a quasi-experimental setting in Pennsylvania where some wells were devel-oped to produce natural gas whereas other wells were permitted but not drilled. In do-ing so, we utilize a novel empirical approach drawing upon insights from atmospheric chemistry to account for windblown pollution spillovers in a difference-in-differences framework. Utilizing a high frequency, high resolution satellite-based measure of PM pollution between 2000 and 2018, we identify causal increases in PM2.5 concentration ranging from 0.017 mg/m3 to 0.062 mg/m3 in the vicinity of over 20,000 wells, result-ing in approximately 20 additional deaths between 2010 and 2017.

AB - We estimate the impact of shale gas development on particulate matter pollution using a quasi-experimental setting in Pennsylvania where some wells were devel-oped to produce natural gas whereas other wells were permitted but not drilled. In do-ing so, we utilize a novel empirical approach drawing upon insights from atmospheric chemistry to account for windblown pollution spillovers in a difference-in-differences framework. Utilizing a high frequency, high resolution satellite-based measure of PM pollution between 2000 and 2018, we identify causal increases in PM2.5 concentration ranging from 0.017 mg/m3 to 0.062 mg/m3 in the vicinity of over 20,000 wells, result-ing in approximately 20 additional deaths between 2010 and 2017.

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Air Quality Impacts of Shale Gas Development in Pennsylvania

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