Unintended consequences of the Clean Air Act: Mortality rates in Appalachian coal mining communities. Issue 63 (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hendryx, Michael; Holland, Benjamin
• Is Part Of: Environmental science & policy. Issue 63(2016:Sep.)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 6
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: Mountaintop removal -- Clean Air Act -- Unintended consequences -- Mortality -- Appalachia; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Environmental sciences; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.70561
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2016.04.021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-9011

Abstract

Highlights: Amendments to the Clean Air Act (CAA) were made in 1990. These amendments contributed to increased Appalachian mountaintop coal mining. Adjusted population death rates in mining areas were significantly higher post-CAA. Energy policy should attend to all phases of the fossil fuel production and use cycle. Abstract: The 1990 amendments to the US Clean Air Act (CAA) encouraged the growth of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in Central Appalachia. This study tests the hypothesis that the amendments had unintended impacts on increasing mortality rates for populations living in these mining areas. We used a panel design to examine adjusted mortality rates for three groups (all-cause, respiratory cancer, and non-cancer respiratory disease) between 1968 and 2014 in 404 counties stratified by MTR and Appalachian/non-Appalachian status. The results showed significant interactions between MTR status and post-CAA period for all three mortality groups. These differences persisted after control for time, age, smoking rates, poverty, obesity, and physician supply. The MTR region in the post-CAA years experienced an excess of approximately 1200 adjusted deaths per year. Although the CAA has benefits, energy policies have in general focused on the combustion portion of the fossil fuel cycle. Other components of fossil fuel production (e.g. extraction, transport, and processing) should be considered in the comprehensive development of sustainable energy policy.