Is regulation making houses more expensive? October 1, 2008
Posted by bruce mcgranahan in environmental regulation.add a comment
Earlier this year, UW researcher Theo Eicher dropped a bombshell study purporting to show that regulation was responsible for adding $200,000 to the price of an average Seattle house. It was shocking. It landed on the front page of the Seattle Times.
But now, riding to the rescue, the Washington chapter of the American Planning Association has a paper out refuting the study – “Observations On the Costs of Land Use Regulations and Growth Management” (pdf). For anyone interested in housing affordability or growth management, the paper is definitely worth a look.
Affordable Growth Management Posted by Eric de Place
The bottom line is that regulations are unlikely to contribute more than 17% of the final price of a typical home, and the impact in many communities may be much less. To use Seattle as a point of comparison, 17% would represent about $68,000 (in current dollars) of a $400,000 home. Presumably, since many regulations were already in place in 1989, the base year for the UW study, the increase in regulatory costs since that time would be even lower… This analysis suggests that the [Eicher] study has grossly overestimated the impact of regulations by an order of magnitude of 300% or more.
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Public input leads to better environmental decisions September 4, 2008
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From ScienceDaily: When done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies’ decisions about the environment, says a new report from the National Research Council. Well-managed public involvement also increases the legitimacy of decisions in the eyes of those affected by them, which makes it more likely that the decisions will be implemented effectively. Agencies should recognize public participation as valuable to their objectives, not just as a formality required by the law, the report says.
- Proponents of public participation argue that those who must live with the outcome of an environmental decision should have some influence on it.
- Critics maintain that public participation slows decision making and can lower its quality by including people unfamiliar with the science involved.
- Substantial evidence indicates that public participation is more likely to improve than to undermine the quality of decisions.
- Studies show that public participation also tends to increase the legitimacy of agency decisions, which in turn raises the likelihood that they can be implemented effectively and efficiently.
- And the process itself builds citizens’ knowledge of the scientific aspects of environmental issues, which increases their ability to engage in future decisions.
New environmental performance labels on Calif cars June 24, 2008
Posted by bruce mcgranahan in environmental regulation, pollution control.Tags: air, clean energy, climate change, regulation, transportation
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According to a post at Good Clean Tech, California is once again leading the way in local environmental efforts, instituting a new green performance label for every new car sold in the state.
The “environmental performance” rating sticker is voluntary for now but will become a requirement starting January 1, 2009. Each car’s greenhouse gas impact will be rated with a 1-10 scale, with the highest scores representing the least impact, so a ‘9′ will be greener than a ‘7′.”
Why is Germany “world’s greenest country”? June 23, 2008
Posted by bruce mcgranahan in energy, environmental regulation.Tags: conservation, energy
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According to the Telegraph.co.uk …
“Germany has been labelled the world’s greenest country after it cut its energy use by more than any other state in 2007.”
German use of oil, gas and coal in 2007 fell by 5.6 per cent compared with 2006, according to a new report from BP. Global energy consumption, driven by China, America and India, rose by 2.4 per cent in the same year.
The report emerged as the German government passed a new round of environmental laws designed to ensure the country meets ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the laws as “crucial for climate protection” and said they would help Germany reduce its 1990 level of emissions by 40 per cent come 2020.
The laws, which target high polluting lorries and make energy saving designs compulsory for homes built after 2009, should allow Germany to shave 35 per cent off 1990 emissions.
New Vermont law protects groundwater June 20, 2008
Posted by bruce mcgranahan in environmental regulation.Tags: environmental regulation, groundwater, water
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From Vermont Public Radio
Vermont has a new law designed to monitor the use of large quantities of groundwater. Vermont’s Governor signed into law legislation that declares Vermont’s groundwater a public trust.
Starting next year, commercial enterprises that withdraw large volumes of water a day will be required to report their usage. In two years some businesses will need a permit. Most farms will be exempt. <MORE>
