Title

What Explains The Increased Utilization Of Powder River Basin Coal In Electric Power Generation?

Keywords

Environmental Policy; Freight rates; Powder River Basin coal; Railroad transportation costs

Abstract

This article examines possible explanations for increased utilization of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal in electric power generation that occurred over the last two decades. Did more stringent environmental policy motivate electric power plants to switch to less polluting fuels?Or, did greater use of PRB coal occur because relative price changes altered input markets in favor of this fuel. A key finding is that factors other than environmental policy such as the decline in railroad freight rates together with elastic demand by power plants were major contributors to the increased utilization of this fuel. © 2008 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

Publication Date

9-15-2008

Publication Title

American Journal of Agricultural Economics

Volume

90

Issue

4

Number of Pages

933-950

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8276.2008.01147.x

Socpus ID

51349141461 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/51349141461

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS