Ordering the Extraction of Polluting Nonrenewable Resources
挑战Herfindahl定理，证明污染程度不同的不可再生资源（如煤和天然气）的开采顺序可能并非先清洁后污染，甚至可能出现煤、天然气、煤的反复切换，且污染管制可能加速污染资源的使用。
A well-known theorem by Herfindahl states that the low-cost nonrenewable resource must be exploited first. Consider resources that are differentiated only by their pollution content. For instance, both coal and natural gas are used to generate electricity, yet coal is more polluting. We show that the ordering of extraction need not be driven by whether a resource is clean or dirty. Coal may be used first, followed by natural gas, and again by coal. Such “vacillation” does not occur under cost heterogeneity. A perverse policy implication is that regulating pollution may accelerate use of the polluting resource.