Book Snippet: `The Trade Off Myth: Fact and Fiction About Jobs and
the Environment'
12/22/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Discussion of the new book: `The Trade Off Myth: Fact and
Fiction about Jobs and the Environment'
Source: via Forest Service in the News
http://www.afseee.org/fsnews/whatsnew.html
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 22, 1999
Byline: Eban Goodstein
Snippet:
"...Goodstein destroys the myth that environmental protections cost
jobs or reduce competitiveness. Goodstein argues that environmental
regulations can't be tied to rising unemployment rates, plant
shutdowns, manufacturing layoffs and the relocation of US firms to
countries with lax environmental regulations.
According to his research, since the 1970s, layoff stemming from
environmental regulation have only accounted for one-tenth of one
percent of all layoffs--most of which are due to corporate
restructuring. That's only a few thousand jobs a year in a country
where two million get laid off annually.
Goodstein also says that while some plants have shut down in the US
to relocate manufacturing in a country will less stringent
environmental regulation "they can be counted on the fingers of a
couple of hands.
Since the 1970s, economists have looked hard for pollution havens,
and they just are not there in any significant number." Nor,
Goodstein argues, have environmental regulations lead to a shift from
manufacturing to service sector jobs"