Pollution Regulation as a Barrier to the Formation of Small ManufacturingEstablishments: A Longitudinal Analysis. (Includes Research Summary No. 147)

摘要

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration has a statutoryresponsibility to investigate the effects of federal regulation on small business. Promulgated by a variety of federal acts, over 11,000 pages of federal rules and regulations govern environmental risks, and over $100 billion is spent annually to comply with federal environmental regulations. This research focuses on question of whether these actions favor large existing producers at the expense of small new producers. Specifically, the study views environmental regulation as a potential barrier to the entry of small manufacturing establishments, and examines three primary questions: (1) What is the nature of the effect of environmental regulations on the formation of small establishments; (2) How has that effect changed over time; and (3) How does the effect of environmental regulations on small-establishment formation compare to the effect on the formation of large establishments.