Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am, May 11th, 2026
Speaker: Erica Chuang (New York University)
Venue: Zhifuxuan Classroom, Langrun Garden, Peking University
Abstract:
The most recent presidential administration is attempting to weaken key US environmental regulation. One of their primary tools has been the use of cost-benefit analyses for proposed regulatory changes. Their economic arguments can be summarized under two buckets: upweighting monetary costs and downweighting benefits of environmentally-favorable policies. I present an overview of the administration's arguments applied to US transportation policy, including vehicle emissions standards under the 2009 Endangerment Finding, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and the Build America, Buy America Act, and how their arguments are misaligned with both industry realities and core findings in the broader economics literature.
Speaker:
Erica Chuang is an Economic Fellow with the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law and incoming Assistant Professor of Economics at Hunter College (CUNY). Her current research centers on natural resource policy design and transportation. She has served roles with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and US Department of the Treasury. Prior to her doctoral studies, Erica held positions at Innovations for Poverty Action and the Population Council where she coauthored academic publications on development, education, health and survey methods.