Private Equity, Public Harm

The report estimates that air pollution from a subset of private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure in the U.S. causes between $11.3 billion and $15.1 billion in annual health costs. Using the EPA's COBRA tool, the analysis finds these facilities are responsible for approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits each year. The document argues that private equity firms must disclose their fossil fuel exposure and health impacts, cease investments in fossil fuel expansion by 2030, and integrate environmental justice into their operations.

• The annual economic cost of health harms caused by selected private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States is estimated to be between $11.3 billion and $15.1 billion.
• Air pollution from these specific facilities leads to approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits annually, while causing the loss of over 250,000 school days and 27,000 work days per year.
• The analysis focused on non-greenhouse gas pollutants, specifically sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which are linked to respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.
• The report identifies that several private equity firms are individually responsible for more than US$1 billion in annual health impacts.

APA

Hurley, A. (2025). Private Equity, Public Harm. Private Equity Stakeholder Project. https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-public-harm/

Chicago

Hurley, Alex. Private Equity, Public Harm. Private Equity Stakeholder Project, 2025. https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-public-harm/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hurley |first1=Alex |title=Private Equity, Public Harm |publisher=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |date=26 June 2025 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-public-harm/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hurley2025private, author = {Hurley, Alex}, title = {{Private Equity, Public Harm}}, institution = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-public-harm/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }