Federal systems incentivize strategic polluter placement. US data reveals major facilities are disproportionately located downwind of state borders, a pattern especially strong for toxic emitters.
Downwind Advantage?
• Major air polluters favored locations with favorable wind directions
• Pattern robust across diverse models and measurement approaches
• Toxic emissions show particularly pronounced effects
This finding underscores how policy environments can shape environmental injustice.
| Gone with the Wind: Federalism and the Strategic Location of Air Polluters was authored by James E. Monogan III, David M. Konisky and Neal D. Woods. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2017. |
