Blog – rbouvier consulting

Rachel’s 2Q 2024 Journal Round Up

By Connor Feeney | May 29, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

Ceccacci, A., Lopes, A. F., Mulazzani, L., & Malorgio, G. (2024, April 11). Recreation in coastal environments: Estimating the non-market value of fishing harbors. Ecological Economics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800924000946?via%3Dihub This article looks to quantify the positive externalities around small scale fisheries (SSF). Specifically, the article focuses on the recreational value of harbors by analyzing whether small-scale vessels …

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Envisioning a Blue Environmental Economy

By Rachel Lyn Rumson | May 29, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

The waters of Maine are central to life here and have been so for tens of thousands of years. It is a safe bet that these waters will be essential for future generations to thrive here as well. Our mission at rbouvier consulting is to help expand society’s definition of “value” to include all aspects …

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Environment or Economy: A Story of Opportunity Cost

By Connor Feeney | March 25, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

The Maine State Legislature recently proposed a bill regarding fossil fuels and environmental policy. The bill would prohibit gas companies from charging consumers in order to finance expansion of gas service mains and gas service lines, effectively serving as a ban on natural gas expansion. The bill would not affect existing service lines. Proponents of …

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Journal Round Up for Q1 2024

By Connor Feeney | March 25, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

Climate Change Adaptation in Local Municipalities The sharp rise in extreme weather events such as floods and heat waves have increased the need for governing bodies to adapt. The general consensus indicates that municipal governments are best positioned to do this given their unique and proximate knowledge of local infrastructure needs. Accordingly, this study comprises …

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Fourth Quarter Journal Round Up!

By Connor Feeney | December 13, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

The selected article summaries for this quarter focused on carbon taxation and the natural capital of forests and their impacts. As always, the articles are selected from peer reviewed academic journals. —- Castellanos, K. A., & Heutel, G. (2019, May 6). Unemployment, labor mobility, and climate policy. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists …

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Are there enough minerals in the world for a total transition to an alternative energy system?

By Rachel Lyn Rumson | December 13, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

There’s an ongoing debate concerning the availability of minerals needed for a full transition to alternative energy sources. This conversation involves factors such as the Earth’s resource capacity, energy return on investment (EROI) for various energy technologies, technological advancements, and the practicality of shifting away from fossil fuels. Many discussions have raised concerns about the …

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Biking: A Budding Environmental Economist’s View

By Maddy Nakashian | September 11, 2023 | Comments 2 comments

Biking has exploded in popularity in recent years around the world, both as a recreational pursuit and as a way to commute. What good does it provide society beyond being just a fun activity? This blog post by our summer 2023 intern, Maddie Nakashian, takes a deep dive in to how has biking impacted the …

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Rachel’s Journal Round Up Q3 2023

By Connor Feeney | September 11, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

The selected article summaries for this quarter focused on local economic development. A range of issues were covered, such as the aftermath of Covid-19, migration, the Great Resignation, commuting distances, and more. All of the articles are in peer reviewed academic journals. Rohlin, S. (2023). Challenges to Identifying Economic Development Impacts – Sage Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/08912424221140867?download=true …

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New England’s Unique Environmental Problem: Lead

By Connor Feeney | May 24, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

In New England, even though most sources of drinking water are lead free, lead was a common material used for constructing pipes until 1986. Even today, while copper has eclipsed lead as the most common material used for pipes, lead solder can still be used to join copper pipes. Corrosive water can then cause the …

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Lithium Mining: The Economics of the Future

By Connor Feeney | May 1, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

The recent discovery of a “world-class” lithium deposit in Newry, Maine, has sparked off a contentious debate over the environmental and economic future of the State. In response to this revelation, a recent bill was proposed to change Maine regulations to allow for unlimited mining for metals of any size, with up to 100 acres …

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