Prevention versus Treatment under Precautionary Regulation: A Case Study of Groundwater Contamination under Uncertainty
分析农业污染问题中预防与治理的成本效益，发现仅靠治理在多数情况下更经济，且更高预防程度可能减少预防措施的使用。马里兰州案例表明，治理是处理硝酸盐污染最经济的方式。
Abstract Policy discussions on agricultural pollution problems characterize prevention as more cost effective and precautionary than ex post treatment. We derive conditions under which treatment alone is more cost effective in situations involving multiple sources of emissions, multiple sites affected, and a commonly used precautionary approach to uncertainty. We also show that a greater degree of precaution can result in less reliance on prevention. An empirical case study indicates that treatment alone is the most cost‐effective means of dealing with nitrate in most Maryland community water system wells. The use of leaching prevention measures is restricted to the most intensive poultry producing areas. The incremental cost of precaution is substantial.