An Evaluation of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule

The Institute for Policy Integrity argues that the EPA's benefit-cost analysis for the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule is flawed because it failed to provide quantitative estimates for many harms resulting from steam electric power plant wastewater streams. The report suggests that these unquantified forgone benefits likely undervalued the rule's harms to a degree that would undermine the decision to finalize the rule.

• The EPA failed to provide sufficient quantitative estimates for various harms associated with wastewater streams from steam electric power plants, leading to conclusions that are undermined by a lack of fair assessment of these unquantified impacts.
• Because the agency left a significant number of benefits unquantified, it likely undervalued the harms of the 2020 Rule by a large amount, which could invalidate the decision to finalize the rule.

APA

Rothschild, B. D. N. A. D. R. (2021). An Evaluation of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule. Institute for Policy Integrity. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/an-evaluation-of-the-benefit-cost-analysis-in-the-2020-steam-electric-reconsideration-rule

Chicago

Rothschild, Bethany Davis Noll and Dr. Rachel. An Evaluation of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule. Institute for Policy Integrity, 2021. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/an-evaluation-of-the-benefit-cost-analysis-in-the-2020-steam-electric-reconsideration-rule.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rothschild |first1=Bethany Davis Noll and Dr. Rachel |title=An Evaluation of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule |publisher=Institute for Policy Integrity |date=25 March 2021 |url=https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/an-evaluation-of-the-benefit-cost-analysis-in-the-2020-steam-electric-reconsideration-rule |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rothschild2021evaluation, author = {Rothschild, Bethany Davis Noll and Dr. Rachel}, title = {{An Evaluation of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the 2020 Steam Electric Reconsideration Rule}}, institution = {Institute for Policy Integrity}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/an-evaluation-of-the-benefit-cost-analysis-in-the-2020-steam-electric-reconsideration-rule}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }