Patrick Barkey, Ph.D. – Assessing Early Retirement of Coal Generation

[Slides]Assessing Early Retirement of Coal Generation – Patrick Barkey, Ph.D., University of Montana

[Recording]Assessing Early Retirement of Coal Generation – Patrick Barkey, Ph.D., University of Montana

Montana’s Colstrip power plant ceased the operation of two of its four units at the beginning of 2020, and this development is one of the latest in the trend of coal plant closures occurring across the United States.

REMI will be joined by Patrick Barkey, Ph.D., Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, on Wednesday, April 15th from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (ET) for a guest webinar presentation, “Assessing Early Retirement of Coal Generation,” that explains the economic role of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station and similar power plants in terms of electricity generation and employment.

Dr. Barkey is prepared to overview the Colstrip power plant, its impact on annual household income, GDP, and employment in the county and Montana as a whole, and its share of electricity generation in the state.

This webinar presentation reviews three studies conducted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research that analyzed the Colstrip plant’s impact resulting from its operation, as well as the effects of potential shutdowns and alternative investment efforts. Dr. Barkey will also forecast the future of the plant now that two of its four units have ceased production.

“Assessing Early Retirement of Coal Generation” includes demonstrations of how to use REMI modeling to evaluate the demographic and economic impacts of closing a major employer and energy generator in a given region, explanations of how to compare simulations of an economy against the baseline scenario, and the implications of halted power plant operations on a region’s future.

Ted Egan, Ph.D. – San Francisco Developments: The Link Between Office Limitations and Affordable Housing

[Slides]San Francisco Developments: The Link Between Office Limitations and Affordable Housing – Ted Egan, Ph.D., City & County of San Francisco

[Recording]San Francisco Developments: The Link Between Office Limitations and Affordable Housing – Ted Egan, Ph.D., City & County of San Francisco

REMI will be offering a guest webinar presentation provided by Chief Economist Ted Egan, Ph.D. from the City and County of San Francisco on Wednesday, April 1st from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (ET) entitled “San Francisco Developments: The Link Between Office Limitations and Affordable Housing.”

The City and County of San Francisco recently increased the fee it assesses on new office developments to fund its affordable housing projects. A second measure on the March 2020 ballot will ask voters to consider further limitations on future office developments if the City does not meet affordable housing goals set by state and regional agencies. Since the City has not met these goals in the past, the measure has the potential to substantially affect future office development and employment in the city.

Legislators started making and proposing changes to commercial linkage fees after several years of surging employment and housing prices in San Francisco. Dr. Egan will discuss the net economic impact of limiting office building developments in favor of expanding the Bay Area’s affordable housing options.

This guest presentation will review economic impact analyses of both measures that utilized the REMI model to evaluate the impacts on economic growth, income, employment, and housing affordability.

Adam Rose, Ph.D. & Dan Wei, Ph.D. – USC on Modeling COVID-19 in REMI

[Slides]USC on Modeling COVID-19 in REMI – Adam Rose, Ph.D. & Dan Wei, Ph.D., University of Southern California

[Slides]REMI COVID-19 Impacts – Frederick Treyz, Ph.D. & Peter Evangelakis, Ph.D., REMI

[Recording]USC on Modeling COVID-19 in REMI – Adam Rose, Ph.D. & Dan Wei, Ph.D., USC & Frederick Treyz, Ph.D. & Peter Evangelakis, Ph.D., REMI

COVID-19 has earned global attention as the illness continues to work its way across continents. Several prominent countries have seen their normal economic activity all but cease as health and safety professionals attempt to stop the disease’s spread.

Professors Adam Rose, Ph.D. and Dan Wei, Ph.D. from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy will join REMI for a special guest webinar, “USC on Modeling COVID-19 in REMI,” that will be presented on Thursday, March 19th from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (ET).

Dr. Rose and Dr. Wei are prepared to analyze three prior studies that evaluated the numerous effects of a serious health threat and the macroeconomic impacts of shutting down America’s borders by utilizing dynamic economic modeling. These analyses described the basic considerations of simulating health threats, the impact of avoidance behavior on the economy, and how an epidemic influences a region’s supply-chain resilience.

This discussion examines a general influenza outbreak scenario before exploring how to model the case for a severe health threat in which the United States government would consider a partial or complete border closure to all goods and people. A border closure can involve a reduction of imports, exports, tourism, and migration, which then increase the need for domestic substitutes for the nation’s most important services and supplies.

A hypothetical H1N1 influenza epidemic will be used in this guest webinar presentation that also details how to use REMI to monitor workforce participation, medical expenditures, and vaccination expenditures resulting from a national health threat. The methodological approaches incorporated in each analysis will be provided by Dr. Rose and Dr. Wei, as well as the key findings from their assessments.