Jeremy Weber, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Pittsburgh, will present the EEEP Seminar Series, “Can Environmental Restoration Help Revitalize Communities? Evidence from Treating Abandoned Mine Drainage in Pennsylvania” on September 18, 2026.
Abstract:
Distressed communities facing industrial decline or energy transitions often inherit environmental hazards. Using coal communities as a test case, we consider whether turning environmental hazards into amenities helps revitalize communities threatened with economic and demographic decline. Looking over three decades, we find that coal communities with mine-impaired waterways had much less population growth than similar communities nearby, leading to depopulation for many. Even partial waterway restoration offset this effect, with growth in the college-educated population in particular increasing by 10 percentage points. Moreover, a comparison with a traditional place-based subsidy policy shows restoration costing much less per resident ($240 vs $1,500). Our findings suggest that environmental restoration should be viewed as more than environmental policy, having a clear role in place-based development strategies for communities undergoing industrial transitions.
Bio:
Jeremy G. Weber is professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public and International Affairs. He researches the policy and economics of environmental and energy issues. He has extensive policy experience, having worked as a research economist at a Federal statistical agency (the Economic Research Service) and as a chief economist at the White House (the Council of Economic Advisers). He is the author of Statistics for Public Policy: A Practical Guide to Being Mostly Right (or at Least Respectably Wrong) (University of Chicago Press).