Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition Daniel Raimi Report 20-11 September 2020 Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition A About the Author Daniel Raimi is a Senior Research Associate at Resources for the Future and a lecturer at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He works on a range of energy policy issues with a focus on oil and gas regulation and taxation and climate change policy. He has published in academic journals including Science, Science Advances, Environmental Science and Technology, Energy Policy, and Journal of Economic Perspectives, popular outlets including The New Republic, Newsweek, Slate, and Fortune, and presented his research for policymakers, industry and other stakeholders around the United States and internationally. The Fracking Debate, his first book, combines stories from his travels to dozens of oil and gas producing regions with a detailed examination of key policy issues, and is published by Columbia University Press as part of the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy book series. Current research examines the future of energy development in the United States, with a focus on how producing communities are managing near-term impacts while planning for the future. He also hosts Resources Radio, a weekly podcast from Resources for the Future, in which he interviews leading researchers on energy and environmental topics. About RFF Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy. The views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. About EDF Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is one of the world’s leading environmental non- profit organizations. EDF’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends. Guided by science and economics, EDF finds practical and lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition i About the Project This report is the second in a series prepared by Resources for the Future and Environmental Defense Fund that examines policies and programs to promote fairness for workers and communities in a transition to a low–greenhouse gas emissions economy, often referred to as a just transition. The series looks at existing public policies and programs, grouped thematically as “tools in the toolbox” for policymakers seeking effective strategies to address economic challenges associated with the transition. This series focuses on policies and programs that can support workers and communities in regions where coal, oil, and natural gas production or consumption has been a leading employer and economic driver. Other reports in the series present illustrative cases in the United States and discuss policy innovation abroad. This report focuses on federal environmental remediation and infrastructure programs. Please visit www.rff.org/fairness-for-workers or www.edf.org/ensuring-fairness-workers- clean-economy for more information, other reports in the series, blog posts, and more. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Amelia Keyes, Seth Villanueva, Molly Robertson, and Wesley Look of Resources for the Future (RFF) and Jake Higdon of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for excellent research support and collaboration on this series of reports. I would also like to thank Catherine Hausman (University of Michigan), Jessica Eckdish (BlueGreen Alliance), and Kevin DeGood (Center for American Progress) for comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Thanks also to Lauren Dunlap (RFF), Chandler Green (EDF), and the broader RFF and EDF communications teams for their excellent support in formatting, styling, editing, and finalizing this report. Sharing Our Work Our work is available for sharing and adaptation under an Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. You can copy and redistribute our material in any medium or format; you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made, and you may not apply additional restrictions. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Cover Photo: Drew Angerer / Staff / Getty Images Resources for the Future ii Abbreviations AML Abandoned Mine Land fund ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act BLM Bureau of Land Management (DOI) CDBG Community Development Block Grant program (HUD) CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act CWSRF Clean Water State Revolving Fund DOI US Department of Interior DOT US Department of Transportation DWSRF Drinking Warer State Revolving Fund EJ environmental justice EPA US Environmental Protection Agency FAHP Federal-Aid Highway Program (DOT) FPTP Federal Public Transportation Program (DOT) GAO US Government Accountability Office GHG greenhouse gas GWP global warming potential HTF Highway Trust Fund HUD US Department of Housing and Urban Development JT Just Transition NPL National Priorities List (of Superfund sites) OEM Office of Environmental Management (DOE) OLM Office of Legacy Management (DOE) OSMRE Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (DOI) RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act UST Underground Storage Tank program (EPA) Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition iii Contents 1. Executive Summary 1 1.1. Insights and Implications 1 1.1.1. Environmental Remediation 2 1.1.2. Broad Infrastructure Porgrams 3 2. Introduction 4 2.1. Scope of This Review 7 2.2. Types of Environmental and Infrastructure Policies 7 2.2.1. Environmental Remediation and Restoration Tools 7 2.2.2. Major Infrastructure Programs 8 3. Environmental Remediation 10 3.1. Key Insights 11 3.2. Metrics for Evaluating Policy Effectiveness 11 3.3. Programs and Evidence 12 3.3.1. General Pollution Remediation 12 3.3.2. Nuclear Sites 16 3.3.3. Oil and Gas Remediation 18 3.3.4. Coal Site Remediation 20 4. Broad Infrastructure Programs 24 4.1. Key Insights 25 4.2. Metrics for Evaluating Policy Effectiveness 25 4.3. Theoretical Background and Evidence 26 4.3.1. Employment 26 4.3.2. Social Welfare 26 4.3.3. Short-run Economic Stimulus 27 4.3.4. Increasing Long-run Productivity 27 4.3.5. Infrastructure and Environmental Justice 28 4.4. Major Programs 28 4.4.1. Transportation Infrastructure 28 4.4.2. Other Infrastructure 31 5. Conclusion 37 Resources for the Future iv 1. Executive Summary Environmental remediation and infrastructure spending have a significant potential role in reducing pollution and supporting workers and communities affected by a transition to clean energy. This review examines major federal policies related to these two areas, highlighting the existing evidence on program effectiveness across multiple metrics. Environmental remediation programs can provide near-term job opportunities and restore sites to economic use in regions with a history of pollution, including pollution from energy extraction and consumption. The evidence is strong that remediation increases nearby property values and provides job opportunities during cleanup. Depending on their design and implementation, increased efforts in this area could benefit energy communities and communities affected by the legacy of environmental injustice. Recent research suggests that some of these programs, including remediating abandoned oil and gas wells, can provide direct jobs at relatively low cost, but evidence on the cost-effectiveness of job creation for the Superfund and Brownfields programs is mixed. Important questions regarding employment effects of remediation are whether they persist over time, and which workers and communities benefit most from these job opportunities. Infrastructure programs for highways, public transport, and clean water also have the potential to support employment and economic growth in communities heavily dependent on fossil energy. Although economists have debated whether transportation infrastructure investment increases overall economic activity or merely redistributes it, the latter outcome may be valuable in the context of an energy transition, particularly if new infrastructure serves communities negatively affected by a shift away from fossil energy. Some infrastructure projects, particularly those providing clean water, can address the legacy of surface and groundwater pollution in some fossil energy producing and consuming communities. In addition, infrastructure investment—depending on its design and implementation—has the potential to reduce a legacy of environmental injustice. 1.1. Insights and Implications • One common objective for government policy in the context of a “Just Transition” (JT) is supporting local employment in communities