Out of Sight: The Science and Economics of Visibility Impairment

The report begins with a general overview of the basics behind the nature and science of visibility. Included in this section is a discussion on what causes visibility impairment, how visibility is impaired, how humans perceive visibility impairment, and how it is measured. The second section presents both historical trends on national visibility and examples of visibility degradation at specific places. The legislative history in specific regard to visibility regulation is then presented, along with a discussion on other air pollution policies that have had an impact on visual air quality. The economics of visibility follows, and is presented in two separate sections. The first discusses the economics of visibility in terms of its impact on the direct consumption of visibility as a resource, or, in other words, how visibility impacts visitation and tourism behavior. The next section presents the economics of visibility in terms of non direct consumption, or how people value improvements in visibility in areas where they may or may not be experiencing it directly. Finally, an applied example of the valuation of visibility improvements is provided, specifically calculating the visibility benefits associated with reductions in power plant emissions.