Cleaning Up Waterways Improves Local Economic Outcomes, with Max Harleman

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi speaks to Max Harleman, an assistant professor at Villanova University, about research on the positive economic impacts of environmental remediation. Half a million mining operations have been abandoned throughout the United States, and the tailings and runoff from those mines compromise waterways—from the small scale of creeks nearby to regional impacts on watersheds. Water that drains from mines acidifies surrounding waterways, killing organisms in the ecosystem and making the waters unattractive for fishing, boating, and swimming. Harleman’s recent research with colleagues combines interviews with locals and careful comparisons of stream conditions and communities; their findings qualitatively and quantitatively illustrate the value of environmental remediation and restoration, yielding actionable advice for policymakers. Evidence shows that dollars spent on remediation efficiently produce positive outcomes for communities in terms of population growth, property values, and even profits on short-term rentals. Hear more details by listening in.

References and recommendations:

“Waterway Restoration Helps Revitalize Mined Areas” by Jeremy G. Weber, Max Harleman, Aidan Semanco, Shawn McCoy, and Katie Jo Black; cdn.prod.website-files.com/65f9f863036e7bbd0fc…

“Reversing Signals of Neglect: Legacy Pollution, Adaptive Governance, and Resilience in Historic Coal Communities” by Max Harleman, Jeremy G. Weber, Aidan Semanco, Katie Jo Black, and Shawn J. McCoy; sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378…

“Environmental Hazards and Local Investment: A Half-Century of Evidence from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells” by Max Harleman, Jeremy G. Weber, and Daniel Berkowitz; journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719383

“Gravity” by Jeremy Ledbetter Trio; jeremyledbetter.com/product-page/gravity-cd

“Yamaha” by Fazer; squamarecordings.com/release/yamaha

“Fasten Up” by Yellowjackets; yellowjackets.com/store-page/p/fasten-up-cd-ye…

Kermit Ruffins; basinstreetrecords.com/artists/kermit-ruffins

Rebirth Brass Band; rebirthbrassband.com

Jon Batiste; jonbatiste.com

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