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  • Home
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    • Our People
    • Mission and Funding
    • 990 Filings
    • Governance and Disclosure Statements
  • Our Work
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    • Newsletters
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Impact of Refinery Row on the City of Corpus Christi

Client: Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Sachin Peddada, Elisabeth Seliga, Jordan Burt, Liz Stanton, PhD

March 2023

On behalf of the Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend (IPCB), this Applied Economics Clinic (AEC) report summarizes the economic impact of the petroleum industry in Nueces County, Texas and the negative impacts of the polluting facilities located in the City of Corpus Christi and its “Refinery Row” district. While major petroleum companies have promised economic benefits, Corpus Christi's petroleum refineries employ less than 2 percent of the City's workforce. In the absence of more stringent reporting requirements and enforcement actions, Refinery Row releases high levels of harmful pollutants with minor consequences while nearby neighborhoods suffer higher rates of asthma and cancer prevalence rates than other areas in Corpus Christi. 

This report was funded through AEC's Pro Bono Fund, which provides pro bono analysis, research, testimony, policy briefs, or detailed reports to Environmental Justice groups on topics including energy economics, climate and other environmental impacts, and diversity, equity, and inclusion analysis.

Link to Report

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tags: Liz-Stanton, Elizabeth A. Stanton, Sachin Peddada
categories: Equity, Equity Analysis, Fossil Fuel, Texas
Monday 03.20.23
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

Boston Tree Equity Analysis

Client: GreenRoots and Speak for the Trees

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Boston’s trees provide shade, cooling, and flood protection, and are an important tool for mitigating climate change impacts—like increased precipitation, sea level rise, and higher temperatures. The distribution of trees across and within Boston neighborhoods determines which communities benefit from these protections and which are left bearing the brunt of climate change impacts.

On behalf of GreenRoots and Speak for the Trees, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD examined the distribution of tree coverage, pollution, high temperatures, and socioeconomic disparities in the City of Boston in order to identify communities where tree planting efforts could offer the most equitable results.

AEC recommends that equitable tree planting efforts be concentrated in neighborhoods where there is both the greatest opportunity for planting trees in an otherwise tree scarce area and a high concentration of socially vulnerable populations: South Boston, East Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury.

Link to Report

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tags: Elizabeth A. Stanton, Tanya-Stasio, Elisabeth Seliga
categories: Climate Change Impacts, Equity, EQUITY, Equity Analysis, Massachusetts
Tuesday 10.11.22
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

Equity Measurement and Targeting Underserved Communities in Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan

Client: Green Justice Coalition

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Sagal Alisalad, Eliandro Tavares, Myisha Majumder, and Liz Stanton, PhD

December 2021

On behalf of the Green Justice Coalition, AEC staff developed three white papers on equity measurement and how underserved communities will be served in the implementation of Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan. The first paper, Equity Measurement for Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan, builds on the equity recommendations of the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council’s (EEAC) Equity Working Group (EWG) and the Green Justice Coalition by describing metrics needed to evaluate progress towards equity goals. The second paper, Energy Efficiency and Equity Efforts Nationwide, provides examples from other jurisdictions around the nation on the state of equity programming in energy efficiency policies. The third AEC white paper, Targeting Underserved Communities in Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan, is a detailed review of Massachusetts towns identified as underserved by the energy efficiency program administrators and their partners.

Link to White Paper 1: Equity Measurement for Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan

Link to White Paper 2: Energy Efficiency and Equity Efforts Nationwide

Link to White Paper 3: Targeting Underserved Communities in Massachusetts’ 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan

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tags: Liz-Stanton, Bryndis-Woods, Sagal-Alisalad, Myisha-Majumder, Eliandro-Tavares
categories: Equity Analysis, Massachusetts
Friday 12.03.21
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

Equity Assessment of Electrification Incentives in the District of Columbia

Client: The Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia

Authors: Tanya Stasio, Bryndis Woods, PhD. Joshua R. Castigliego, Liz Stanton, PhD

December 2021

On behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, Researcher Tanya Stasio, Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, PhD, Researcher Joshua Castigliego, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD examine a potential pathway for reducing emissions in the District of Columbia: equitable electrification–a transition away from fossil fuels while taking into consideration equity implications, in both existing and future decarbonization efforts.

A baseline equity analysis of the distribution of energy expenditures, median income and other vulnerability indicators reveals significant disparities across the District. To account for the existing disparities of income and access within the District and ensure beneficial electrification efforts are equitable, AEC identified the following priorities: (1)  Ensuring that community engagement influences DC Public Service Commission and District Government decision-making regarding beneficial electrification programs; (2) Prioritizing beneficial electrification investments in neighborhoods impacted by environmental injustice and addressing common decarbonization barriers, and; (3) Ensuring that beneficial electrification programs do not increase the energy burden for EJ and other vulnerable communities.

Link to Report

Media Coverage

Media Coverage

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tags: Joshua-Castigliego, Liz-Stanton, Bryndis-Woods, Tanya-Stasio
categories: District of Columbia, Equity Analysis
Friday 12.03.21
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

Visualizations of Racial Inequity

GNED PIC.png

Client: Renew New England
Authors: AEC Staff

August 2020

On behalf of the Renew New England coalition, AEC used publicly available data to produce visualizations of racial disparities. 

There are three sets of data graphics:

1) The first set shows disparities in rates of incarceration, average income, COVID-19 cases, and unemployment across as many as five racial categories: Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latinx and white. This data is presented for each of the New England states and the U.S.

2) The second set shows Black/white disparities across as many as 23 measures (e.g. homelessness, infant mortality, educational attainment). This data is presented for Massachusetts and the total U.S.

3) Black/white unemployment for all U.S. states and the U.S. average. 

The data demonstrate that racial inequalities are pervasive across common measures of well-being like employment, incarceration, poverty status and educational attainment. These inequalities are consistent across New England and the rest of the United States. For example, across the United States today, a Black individual is 6.4 times more likely than a white individual to be incarcerated, 2.4 times more likely to have a positive COVID-19 test, and 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed.

Link to Presentation

Link to Downloadable Images

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tags: Liz-Stanton, Tyler-Comings, Joshua-Castigliego, Bryndis-Woods, Sagal-Alisalad, Eliandro-Tavares, Myisha-Majumder, Tanya-Stasio
categories: Equity, Equity Analysis, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island
Thursday 08.13.20
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

New England Housing Costs: Rent as a Share of Income

NE Rent income.png

Authors: Bryndis Woods, Liz Stanton, PhD and Eliandro Tavares

March 2020

Researcher Bryndis Woods, Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD and Assistant Researcher Eliandro Tavares prepared a presentation that assesses housing costs as a share of income across the New England states. We find that, across New England, lower-income households bear a greater rent burden than higher-income households. Between 2011 and 2017, some households’ rent as a share of income has risen, as a result of falling incomes and/or rising rents that can lead to displacement.

Link to Presentation

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tags: Bryndis-Woods, Liz-Stanton, Eliandro-Tavares
categories: Equity, Equity Analysis, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island
Thursday 03.12.20
Posted by Liz Stanton
 

AEC Climate and Social Equity Framework

Equity Framework.JPG

Authors: Liz Stanton, PhD and Bryndis Woods

March 2020

AEC’s climate and social equity framework offers guidance on how to incorporate considerations of social equity in climate planning. Every community will face different climate and social equity changes, and will need its own tailored approach to achieve the best outcomes. The framework can be used as a jumping off point, a discussion piece to spark ideas, or a to do list.

Link to Framework

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tags: Liz-Stanton, Bryndis-Woods
categories: Equity, Equity Analysis
Friday 03.06.20
Posted by Liz Stanton