The cost of clean air and water

There are extensive studies showing that the costs of environmental regulations are well worth the expenditures. A 2010 report to Congress on the subject detailed the estimated costs and resulting benefits of federal regulations from 1999 to 2009, concluding that benefits aggregated between $128 and $616 billion, while costs aggregated between $43 billion and $55 billion.

It doesn’t take a math wiz to see that spending money to keep our environment safe is a good investment.

But what about the much maligned EPA? The same study shows that the Environmental Protection Agency’s aggregate annual costs for clean water and air regulations over the same time period ranged from $26 to $29 billion, while benefits range from $82 to $533 billion.

So how have these benefits occurred, during both Republican and Democratic administrations? The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) says that the economic benefits came through avoided illnesses and deaths and avoided work and school absences, resulting in a net gain of $2.48 for every dollar spent on compliance from 2003 to 2008.

It is hard to imagine how anyone could argue with this math, even if they don’t agree that clean air and water is worth paying for – whatever the price.