Energy Economics and Finance Seminar
Event Summary
The seminar series in Energy Economics & Finance (EEF) is jointly organized by Wharton’s Business Economics and Public Policy Department, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, and Wharton’s Business, Climate and Environment Lab. The scope of the seminar includes regulation and policy papers. The scope of the seminar also includes environmental and transportation issues, as long as there is a connection with energy. Sessions are biweekly on Mondays from 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Snacks, beer, and wine will be served after the seminar!
For Spring 2026, the seminar will be held in-person in the Kleinman Center Classroom (Fisher Fine Arts Building Room 306).
Find and add a Google Calendar version of the schedule on the BEPP seminar page.
To sign up for the seminar, please send your name, email, and affiliation to Dhivya Kaushik: dhivya@wharton.upenn.edu
Talk Title: “Paving the Swamp: Consequences of Land Use Regulation Under the Clean Water Act”
Abstract: How does environmental regulation of land use affect the environment and the economy? We study how recent changes to Clean Water Act regulation, measured using wetland maps and machine learning, affect land markets. Four findings emerge. First, a 2020 White House rule reduced Clean Water Act regulation by about 40 percent. Second, by deregulating wetlands, this rule increased the value of U.S. non-residential parcels by nearly 1%, with larger effects for parcels facing greater deregulation and near-zero effects for residential parcels. Third, deregulation spurred permitting activity and increased impervious cover like pavement while reducing wetland area. Fourth, the aggregate increase in land values of $111 to $114 billion meaningfully exceeds the estimated loss in wetlands’ flood mitigation services; we carefully discuss welfare implications.
Charles Taylor
Assistant Professor of Public PolicyCharles Taylor is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is an economist researching the environment, agriculture, and climate change. His work often uses satellite data to answer policy questions.
Spring Seminar Dates:
- 2/2: Paulina Oliva (USC)
- 3/23: Charles Taylor (Harvard Kennedy School)
- 4/6: Aymeric Bellon (UNC)
- 4/20: Jeff Shrader (Columbia University)
- 4/27: Teevrat Garg (UC San Diego)
