Externality - Week 3 Paper

Week 3 Assignment
3-5 Page Paper
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Externality
For a significant portion of the US- industrial history, much of the waste (solid waste, air & water emissions) that was generated was disposed of much differently than it is today. Some industrial activities regularly discharged waste to common pool resources (e.g., atmosphere, surface waters, and soil) for which they did not have to pay compensation. The costs for these externalities were often borne by the public.
o	Incorporating the readings, your knowledge, and outside sources as you find appropriate, write a three- to five- page paper reflecting on the economic concept of externality. 
o	Can you give an example of a case where the public has borne the costs for externalities stemming from industrial waste?  
Some questions to consider when answering this question: 
o	What were the conditions surrounding the industry discharging this waste?  
o	What type of waste was discharged?  
o	How many years was the waste discharged?  
o	Who/what was affected?  
o	In what way were they (was it) affected?  
o	When was the discharge first regulated (reduced / eliminated)?  
o	Was the discharge regulated as a result of environmental legislation? Which one?  
o	How has the affected party (human, animal or ecological) fared since? Is/was there remediation? 
o	How is (was) the affected area cleaned up? If it isn’t being (hasn’t been) cleaned up, are there plans to do so? Who has ultimate responsibility for the clean-up? 
You may use one of these hint topics if you are having difficulty finding examples for this assignment.
Hints:  
o	GE, PCBs, Hudson River 
o	Love Canal 
o	Diesel Bus Idling, Children- Rates of Asthma 
o	Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, Agricultural Drainage, Selenium, Waterfowl 
o	Aircraft Emissions, Neighborhoods, General Aviation, Southern California