Environmental restoration offsets population decline in postindustrial communities

Jeremy Weber, Shawn McCoy, Katie Jo Black and Max Harleman

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Can turning an environmental hazard into an amenity help sustain communities facing industrial and population decline? We study Pennsylvania coal communities over three decades, estimating how mine-impaired waterways and their restoration affected population growth as mining and manufacturing declined regionally. We find that communities with mine-impaired waterways and no restoration had 4 percentage points less population growth than similar nearby communities, leading to depopulation for many. Even partial restoration offset this effect, with growth driven by college-educated individuals and those age 65 and older. The presence of mine water treatment systems, usually a series of wetlands and ponds, did not affect population growth apart from effects on water quality. In the face of major economic transitions, environmental restoration can help communities retain and attract residents, thereby advancing the goals of traditional place-based economic development incentives.

Keywords: Mine Drainage; Amenities, Population, Coal, Pollution Mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q52 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05-19
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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/129206/1/MPRA_paper_129206.pdf revised version (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:129168

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