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Journal of Science Policy & Governance | Volume 18, Issue 04 | September 27, 2021

Policy Memo: Preventing Increased Air Pollution in Pennsylvania’s Environmental Justice Communities

Ryan A Chaban (1), Daniel W. Dudt (2), Bethany Gordon (3), Evan T. Ostrowski (4)
  1. William & Mary, Department of Physics, Williamsburg, VA
  2. Princeton University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton, NJ
  3. University of Virginia, Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, Charlottesville, VA
  4. Princeton University, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton, NJ
Corresponding author: bmg6bt@virginia.edu
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​https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180407
Keywords: environmental justice; air pollution; health disparities; climate policy; cap-and-trade; RGGI; Pennsylvania
Executive Summary: Air pollutants are known to cause serious health impacts, and historically marginalized groups are disproportionately exposed to these risks. Other hazardous pollutants often accompany carbon dioxide emissions during fossil fuel combustion, and therefore reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from climate policy can also improve air quality. However, although these policies may reduce pollution overall, existing programs have often increased local emissions levels – particularly in the most overburdened neighborhoods. The adverse health effects caused by a redistribution of emissions must be considered as Pennsylvania plans to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We recommend the Department of Environmental Protection include an annual impact assessment of their cap-and-trade program on vulnerable communities using both the available carbon dioxide emissions data and additional local air quality measurements.

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Ryan Chaban received his B.S.E in Engineering Physics from Case Western Reserve University and is pursuing his Ph.D. in Physics at William & Mary where he studies nuclear fusion science on the DIII-D tokamak in San Diego, CA. During the summer of 2020, as an inaugural Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering & Science (COVES) Fellow he researched controlled environment agriculture and carbon pricing for Dominion Energy. After graduating, he hopes to use his research skillset to address energy and climate issues through data driven insights.
 
Daniel Dudt is a Ph.D. candidate in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at Princeton University, where he is also pursuing certificates in Computational Science and Engineering and in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy. Through his research, Daniel develops advanced computational tools to improve stellarators for controlled fusion energy. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University with minors in Mathematics and Physics.
 
Bethany Gordon received her bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering in 2017 from the University of Virginia (UVA), where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering. As an equity-driven engineer, Bethany utilizes behavioral science and social psychology to improve social justice in design of the built environment. She is a 2021 Christine Mirzayan Science Technology & Policy Fellow, a 2019 recipient of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the first-place winner in the How to Change the World International Podcast Competition (2017) and was appointed to the National Executive Board of 500 Women Scientists (2019).
 
Evan Ostrowski is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department and received his bachelor's degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He utilizes experimental surface science techniques to investigate plasma-material interactions and advance the field of fusion energy. Evan is passionate about clean energy solutions and including more scientists in the policymaking process.
 
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