Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Economics
First Advisor
Joerg Bibow
Abstract
The opportunity to write both a Capstone and a Thesis has provided me a unique opportunity to supplement what I’ve learned and what I hope to achieve in each discipline with the other. In my ES Capstone, I explore the decision-making processes of stakeholders in a local, risky, and hot topic area: crude oil transport by rail.
In my EC Thesis I address the same issue, but from a different angle. I use Robert Costanza's method of ecosystem valuation to value the ecosystem services in New York State via the benefit transfer method. I then predict the proportion of these services at risk if there were to be a train derailment, thereby placing monetary value on that environmental risk. I end by analyzing the current political status of the issue and making recommendations for future national, statewide, and local policies.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Hobbs, Caroline, "Crude Oil Transport by Rail in NY State: Ecosystem Value at Risk" (2016). Economics Student Theses and Capstone Projects. 22.
https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/econ_studt_schol/22