Brian A Chalfant | University of Pittsburgh (original) (raw)

Journal Articles by Brian A Chalfant

Safety Science, 2016

To build resilience, communities must redesign standard practices in emergency management trainin... more To build resilience, communities must redesign standard practices in emergency management training and operations such that stakeholders share a common view of community risks and resources. A shared image of community risks and resources can facilitate engagement of organizations across sectors and jurisdictions in collective action to reduce shared regional risks. Moreover, creating a reliable, trusted knowledge commons or shared knowledge base for information search, exchange, and updating can support cognition and communication among participating actors, a critical task in achieving effective collective action, especially in urgent, complex, and evolving emergency systems and situations. In this article, we present the initial stage of a prototype decision support system for emergency operations in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This prototype represents the first step in building a shared knowledge base to support community resilience in a multi-jurisdictional regional system. Vetted and endorsed by experienced practicing emergency managers in the county, the prototype system uses geospatial modeling to map resource allocation scenarios in relation to various types of risk in the region. By providing a trusted knowledge base of regional risks and resources, the prototype system can support emergency managers in developing an integrated perspective on shared regional risks and in collectively exploring, assessing, and improving the efficaciousness of coordinated inter-organizational and inter-jurisdictional resource allocation strategies in virtual emergency response and readiness scenarios. Dynamic functions are proposed for future development.

Hydrobiologia, 2008

We compared on eight dates during the ice-free period physicochemical properties and rates of phy... more We compared on eight dates during the ice-free period physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production in six arctic lakes dominated by soft bottom substrate. Lakes were classified as shallow (z ̅ < 2.5 m), intermediate in depth (2.5 m < z ̅ < 4.5 m), and deep (z ̅ > 4.5 m), with each depth category represented by two lakes. Although shallow lakes circulated freely and intermediate and deep lakes stratified thermally for the entire summer, dissolved oxygen concentrations were always >70% of saturation values. Soluble reactive phosphorus and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NO3—N + NH4+–N) were consistently below the detection limit (0.05 μmol l-1) in five lakes. However, one lake shallow lake (GTH 99) periodically showed elevated values of DIN (17 μmol l-1), total-P (0.29 μmol l-1), and total-N (33 μmol l-1), suggesting wind-generated sediment resuspension. Due to increased nutrient availability or entrainment of microphytobenthos, GTH 99 showed the highest average volume-based values of phytoplankton chlorophyll a (chl a) and primary production, which for the six lakes ranged from 1.0 to 2.9 μg l-1 and 0.7-3.8 μmol C l-1 day-1. Overall, however, increased z ̅ resulted in increased area-based values of phytoplankton chl a and primary production, with mean values for the three lake classes ranging from 3.6 to 6.1 mg chl a m-2 and 3.2-5.8 mmol C m-2 day-1. Average values of epipelic chl a ranged from 131 to 549 mg m-2 for the three depth classes, but levels were not significantly different due to high spatial variability. However, average epipelic primary production was significantly higher in shallow lakes (12.2 mmol C m-2 day-1) than in intermediate and deep lakes (3.4 and 2.4 mmol C m-2 day-1). Total primary production (6.7-15.4 mmol C m-2 day-1) and percent contribution of the epipelon (31-66%) were inversely related to mean depth, such that values for both variables were significantly higher in shallow lakes than in intermediate or deep lakes.

Aquatic Sciences, 2006

We compared physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production... more We compared physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production in two shallow lakes in the Alaskan arctic on eight occasions over three years. The two morphometrically similar lakes lacked defined inlets and had a mean depth of 2.2 m. The lakes differed with respect to glacial influence. Lake GTH 112 was continuously turbid due to resuspension of glacial silt from the lake bed, while GTH 114 showed higher clarity as it was situated on coarser glacial drift. The two lakes contrasted sharply in euphotic zone nutrient concentrations. Soluble reactive phosphorus, NO3--N and NH4+-N concentrations averaged 0.17, 2.5 and 12.6 μM, respectively, in GTH 112, but were generally at or below the detection limit of 0.05 μM in GTH 114. Reduced light limited the ability of phytoplankton in GTH 112 to use the increased nutrients, and volume-based rates of phytoplankton primary production were similar between lakes. High turbidity in GTH 112 decreased the average percentage of total lake volume and sediment surface within the euphotic zone to 63% and 47%, respectively, compared with values of 88% and 85%, respectively, for GTH 114. Consequently, the average whole lake (phytoplankton plus epipelic) primary production rate in GTH 112 (8.5 mmol m-2 d-1) was significantly lower than the mean rate (12.3 mmol m-2 d-1) for GTH 114. The increase in turbidity affected benthic and pelagic habitats proportionately, as epipelon accounted for about 25% of total whole lake primary production in both lakes.

Regulatory Publications by Brian A Chalfant

. Locations of the 14 fixed-site, long-term water quality network (WQN) monitroing stations used ... more . Locations of the 14 fixed-site, long-term water quality network (WQN) monitroing stations used in the 2012 trend analysis. Major waterways (faded blue), major basins (faded black), and county boundaries (faded white) are also shown.

Magazine Articles by Brian A Chalfant

Keystone Water Quality Manager, 2017

Conference Proceedings by Brian A Chalfant

Proceedings of the 16th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, 2015

Digital technologies have been perceived as a means of facilitating governance in addressing comp... more Digital technologies have been perceived as a means of facilitating governance in addressing complex, dynamic policy problems. Yet, technology alone cannot resolve interdependencies among divergent organizations operating at different levels of authority, access to resources, and experience in heterogeneous contexts. We report preliminary findings from an ongoing study of the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa that revealed breakdowns in governance due in part to limited use of digital technologies to support systematic monitoring of the spread of the disease, search for, and exchange of, valid information and knowledge essential to manage a rapidly evolving, complex threat. We apply a systems theory approach to this wicked problem as a framework for examining the interactions between key actors involved in the response to this epidemic. Preliminary findings are drawn from a content analysis of news articles posted on the United Nations Relief Web and include a chronological record of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa from March through December 2014. A planned network analysis will measure the centrality of actors, as well as the strength and direction of ties among the participating actors: local, provincial, national, regional, and international. We anticipate developing a model of sociotechnical design for addressing complex policy problems.

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Fall Research Conference, 2014

The premise of building capacity for community resilience means rethinking standard practices in ... more The premise of building capacity for community resilience means rethinking standard practices in emergency management training and operations to include a wider group of actors at the community level. This means engaging organizations from different sectors and jurisdictions in a collective effort to coordinate action to reduce risk of disaster that is shared across geographic regions. This need for coordination across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries takes on special urgency in the complex, adaptive sociotechnical systems of regional emergency readiness, response, and resilience. A reliable and trusted knowledge center can support cognition and communication of a common operational picture: a critical task in realizing effective interorganizational emergency resource coordination. We present the initial stage of a prototype decision support system to inform emergency response resource allocation strategies in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This design uses geospatial modeling to map existing and potential resource allocation scenarios in relation to various types of risks. Vetted and endorsed by experienced practicing emergency mangers in the county, the prototype decision support system shows promise for catalyzing interorganizational and interjurisdictional resource coordination by providing a unified, regional emergency management resource knowledge base.

Proceedings of the 11th International Association for Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Conference, 2014

Building community resilience to natural disasters represents a major policy priority for the Uni... more Building community resilience to natural disasters represents a major policy priority for the United States as hazards impact vulnerable urban regions with increasing frequency and severity. Applying network analysis techniques, we examine the dynamics of emergency response to Superstorm Sandy, which struck the United States east coast in late October 2012 and caused over $72 billion in damages. Drawing on a variety of data sources and analytical techniques, we document the storm’s impact on a system of interacting private, public, and nonprofit organizations. We find that the storm’s response network exhibited clear patterns of information gaps and flows among different types of organizations. Our findings suggest a general lack of communication between government agencies and businesses, an area of potential improvement in future regional-scale emergency response systems.

Other Publications by Brian A Chalfant

Proto-Papers by Brian A Chalfant

Each year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater overflow int... more Each year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater overflow into streets and streams in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over the past two decades, the City of Pittsburgh, neighboring municipalities, and the region’s wastewater authorities have arduously negotiated and ultimately entered into an interrelated array of judicial and administrative decrees, orders, and agreements mandating significant regional sewer overflow abatement. In this paper, I evaluate the trajectory and evolution of the sewer overflow issue in the Pittsburgh region with particular eye to its economics. I particularly and comparatively consider cost efficiency and allocation implications associated with alternative overflow abatement strategies. After considering key technical and institutional characteristics that particularize the sewer overflow situation in and around Pittsburgh, I review an array of apposite peer-reviewed modeling studies and examine ongoing innovative sewer overflow abatement strategies in other parts of the United States. My analyses strongly suggest the Pittsburgh region can realize substantive cost efficiencies – and arguably, equity – by implementing alternative sewer overflow abatement strategies as substitutes for or complements to presently-proposed approaches.

Although ALCOSAN (2012) has extensively evaluated an array of alternative strategies to achieve m... more Although ALCOSAN (2012) has extensively evaluated an array of alternative strategies to achieve mandated water quality and overflow abatement goals, ALCOSAN analyses -to date -ignore an entire set of stormwater management strategies proven effective and cost-efficient in other regions facing similar issues and edicts. Stormwater management strategies known variously as green infrastructure and low-impact development simply aim to reduce the amount of stormwater flowing into sewer conveyance systems. As demonstrated in many communities across the country (e.g., Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati 2012; Onondaga County, New York 2012; New York City Department of Environmental Protection 2011; Philadelphia Water Department 2009) these upstream, pre-pipe stormwater approaches can be strategically planned and implemented in conjunction with expanded conveyance, storage, and treatment capacities to achieve cost-effective sewer overflow abatement.

In this report -using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP: Saaty 1988) and Analytic Network Proces... more In this report -using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP: Saaty 1988) and Analytic Network Process (ANP: Saaty 2001) model implemented in SuperDecisions software, version 2.2.3 -we evaluate the benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks of four alternative future paths for the communities served by the sewer and stormwater infrastructure in the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) service area. We first briefly introduce a few of the most pertinent characteristics of the ALCOSAN service area along with some of the key issues facing the region, followed by presentation of our modeling approach, results, strengths, and limitations.

The ostensibly immovable object: reforming stormwater and sewer systems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvan... more The ostensibly immovable object: reforming stormwater and sewer systems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania What's the problem?

As hydrocarbons continue to be industriously blasted, fractured, and extracted out of deep-shale ... more As hydrocarbons continue to be industriously blasted, fractured, and extracted out of deep-shale formations across Appalachia, occasional pollution incidents and accidents of varying severities highlight the enduring need for responsible industry practices to protect environmental integrity and public health. Although self-regulation by deep-shale industry players represents a critical means for achieving compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, strategically-implemented public monitoring and enforcement can reinforce, incentivize, and induce scrupulous industry practices. In this paper, I integrate and examine a novel dataset to assess relationships among production, waste generation, and public regulatory inspection and enforcement strategies at deep-shale oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2012. My analyses suggest that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection strategically targets well inspections toward wells generating more liquid and solid wastes. These findings contribute to and build on existing literature assessing the strategic interactions between regulated firms and regulatory agencies regarding compliance and enforcement decisions, with particular implications concerning the role of inspection spillover effects in evaluating the efficiency and efficacy of public industry regulation. Future analyses will expand on and refine this work, dissecting the trajectories of production, waste, and regulation in this ascendant Appalachian industry.

Over the past decade, deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction has dramatically changed Pennsylvania com... more Over the past decade, deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction has dramatically changed Pennsylvania communities, landscapes, and economies. The significant liquid and solid waste streams generated by deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction activities present potential threats to ecological integrity and public health. Although regulatory agencies require deep-shale well operators to report a variety of data on hydrocarbon extraction activities in the Commonwealth, due to a data system crash at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, an entire year’s worth of deep-shale well waste data was irretrievably erased. These missing data complicate tenable analyses of deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction activities and assessment of associated impacts. In this paper, I explore, apply, and assess a few different methods for handling the digitally-effaced 2007 waste data: an available-data approach; a single-imputation regression approach; and a multiple-imputation stochastic regression approach. I show that the three different methods for handling the missing 2007 waste data lead to some significantly different inferential conclusions. My imputation analyses also indicate that the well wastes generated in 2007 were likely highly concentrated geographically, which may have created substantive localized impacts on water quality.

Allegheny County is entering an auspicious new era. Since 2008 -for the first time in over 50 yea... more Allegheny County is entering an auspicious new era. Since 2008 -for the first time in over 50 years -more taxpayers are moving into Allegheny County than out. 1 With a disciplined real estate sector, the county weathered the Lesser Depression better than much of the nation. 2 Allegheny County's diversified, servicecentered economy comprises a networked set of intelligent, innovative strong sectors with robustly growing employment and earnings. 3 Although old 4 , Allegheny County's workforce remain well-educated 4 and the region remains eminently affordable, especially for housing and health care 5 . From a fundamentally strong foundation forged during decades of cascading collapse and slow corrosion, the economy and occupants of Allegheny County are ready for a third renaissance 2 , a fourth economy 6 , and another winning season 7 .

In this paper, I apply dimension reduction and cluster analysis techniques to explore major axes ... more In this paper, I apply dimension reduction and cluster analysis techniques to explore major axes of similarity and divergence among the municipalities comprising Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. I show how these quantitative statistical techniques can be used to identify areas of potential political cooperation and discord among the 130 boroughs, townships, cities, and home-rule municipalities constituting the county. I briefly discuss potential implications of my findings in light of impending investments in the county’s sewer and stormwater infrastructure.

Safety Science, 2016

To build resilience, communities must redesign standard practices in emergency management trainin... more To build resilience, communities must redesign standard practices in emergency management training and operations such that stakeholders share a common view of community risks and resources. A shared image of community risks and resources can facilitate engagement of organizations across sectors and jurisdictions in collective action to reduce shared regional risks. Moreover, creating a reliable, trusted knowledge commons or shared knowledge base for information search, exchange, and updating can support cognition and communication among participating actors, a critical task in achieving effective collective action, especially in urgent, complex, and evolving emergency systems and situations. In this article, we present the initial stage of a prototype decision support system for emergency operations in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This prototype represents the first step in building a shared knowledge base to support community resilience in a multi-jurisdictional regional system. Vetted and endorsed by experienced practicing emergency managers in the county, the prototype system uses geospatial modeling to map resource allocation scenarios in relation to various types of risk in the region. By providing a trusted knowledge base of regional risks and resources, the prototype system can support emergency managers in developing an integrated perspective on shared regional risks and in collectively exploring, assessing, and improving the efficaciousness of coordinated inter-organizational and inter-jurisdictional resource allocation strategies in virtual emergency response and readiness scenarios. Dynamic functions are proposed for future development.

Hydrobiologia, 2008

We compared on eight dates during the ice-free period physicochemical properties and rates of phy... more We compared on eight dates during the ice-free period physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production in six arctic lakes dominated by soft bottom substrate. Lakes were classified as shallow (z ̅ < 2.5 m), intermediate in depth (2.5 m < z ̅ < 4.5 m), and deep (z ̅ > 4.5 m), with each depth category represented by two lakes. Although shallow lakes circulated freely and intermediate and deep lakes stratified thermally for the entire summer, dissolved oxygen concentrations were always >70% of saturation values. Soluble reactive phosphorus and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NO3—N + NH4+–N) were consistently below the detection limit (0.05 μmol l-1) in five lakes. However, one lake shallow lake (GTH 99) periodically showed elevated values of DIN (17 μmol l-1), total-P (0.29 μmol l-1), and total-N (33 μmol l-1), suggesting wind-generated sediment resuspension. Due to increased nutrient availability or entrainment of microphytobenthos, GTH 99 showed the highest average volume-based values of phytoplankton chlorophyll a (chl a) and primary production, which for the six lakes ranged from 1.0 to 2.9 μg l-1 and 0.7-3.8 μmol C l-1 day-1. Overall, however, increased z ̅ resulted in increased area-based values of phytoplankton chl a and primary production, with mean values for the three lake classes ranging from 3.6 to 6.1 mg chl a m-2 and 3.2-5.8 mmol C m-2 day-1. Average values of epipelic chl a ranged from 131 to 549 mg m-2 for the three depth classes, but levels were not significantly different due to high spatial variability. However, average epipelic primary production was significantly higher in shallow lakes (12.2 mmol C m-2 day-1) than in intermediate and deep lakes (3.4 and 2.4 mmol C m-2 day-1). Total primary production (6.7-15.4 mmol C m-2 day-1) and percent contribution of the epipelon (31-66%) were inversely related to mean depth, such that values for both variables were significantly higher in shallow lakes than in intermediate or deep lakes.

Aquatic Sciences, 2006

We compared physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production... more We compared physicochemical properties and rates of phytoplankton and epipelic primary production in two shallow lakes in the Alaskan arctic on eight occasions over three years. The two morphometrically similar lakes lacked defined inlets and had a mean depth of 2.2 m. The lakes differed with respect to glacial influence. Lake GTH 112 was continuously turbid due to resuspension of glacial silt from the lake bed, while GTH 114 showed higher clarity as it was situated on coarser glacial drift. The two lakes contrasted sharply in euphotic zone nutrient concentrations. Soluble reactive phosphorus, NO3--N and NH4+-N concentrations averaged 0.17, 2.5 and 12.6 μM, respectively, in GTH 112, but were generally at or below the detection limit of 0.05 μM in GTH 114. Reduced light limited the ability of phytoplankton in GTH 112 to use the increased nutrients, and volume-based rates of phytoplankton primary production were similar between lakes. High turbidity in GTH 112 decreased the average percentage of total lake volume and sediment surface within the euphotic zone to 63% and 47%, respectively, compared with values of 88% and 85%, respectively, for GTH 114. Consequently, the average whole lake (phytoplankton plus epipelic) primary production rate in GTH 112 (8.5 mmol m-2 d-1) was significantly lower than the mean rate (12.3 mmol m-2 d-1) for GTH 114. The increase in turbidity affected benthic and pelagic habitats proportionately, as epipelon accounted for about 25% of total whole lake primary production in both lakes.

Keystone Water Quality Manager, 2017

Proceedings of the 16th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, 2015

Digital technologies have been perceived as a means of facilitating governance in addressing comp... more Digital technologies have been perceived as a means of facilitating governance in addressing complex, dynamic policy problems. Yet, technology alone cannot resolve interdependencies among divergent organizations operating at different levels of authority, access to resources, and experience in heterogeneous contexts. We report preliminary findings from an ongoing study of the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa that revealed breakdowns in governance due in part to limited use of digital technologies to support systematic monitoring of the spread of the disease, search for, and exchange of, valid information and knowledge essential to manage a rapidly evolving, complex threat. We apply a systems theory approach to this wicked problem as a framework for examining the interactions between key actors involved in the response to this epidemic. Preliminary findings are drawn from a content analysis of news articles posted on the United Nations Relief Web and include a chronological record of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa from March through December 2014. A planned network analysis will measure the centrality of actors, as well as the strength and direction of ties among the participating actors: local, provincial, national, regional, and international. We anticipate developing a model of sociotechnical design for addressing complex policy problems.

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Fall Research Conference, 2014

The premise of building capacity for community resilience means rethinking standard practices in ... more The premise of building capacity for community resilience means rethinking standard practices in emergency management training and operations to include a wider group of actors at the community level. This means engaging organizations from different sectors and jurisdictions in a collective effort to coordinate action to reduce risk of disaster that is shared across geographic regions. This need for coordination across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries takes on special urgency in the complex, adaptive sociotechnical systems of regional emergency readiness, response, and resilience. A reliable and trusted knowledge center can support cognition and communication of a common operational picture: a critical task in realizing effective interorganizational emergency resource coordination. We present the initial stage of a prototype decision support system to inform emergency response resource allocation strategies in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This design uses geospatial modeling to map existing and potential resource allocation scenarios in relation to various types of risks. Vetted and endorsed by experienced practicing emergency mangers in the county, the prototype decision support system shows promise for catalyzing interorganizational and interjurisdictional resource coordination by providing a unified, regional emergency management resource knowledge base.

Proceedings of the 11th International Association for Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Conference, 2014

Building community resilience to natural disasters represents a major policy priority for the Uni... more Building community resilience to natural disasters represents a major policy priority for the United States as hazards impact vulnerable urban regions with increasing frequency and severity. Applying network analysis techniques, we examine the dynamics of emergency response to Superstorm Sandy, which struck the United States east coast in late October 2012 and caused over $72 billion in damages. Drawing on a variety of data sources and analytical techniques, we document the storm’s impact on a system of interacting private, public, and nonprofit organizations. We find that the storm’s response network exhibited clear patterns of information gaps and flows among different types of organizations. Our findings suggest a general lack of communication between government agencies and businesses, an area of potential improvement in future regional-scale emergency response systems.

Each year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater overflow int... more Each year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater overflow into streets and streams in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over the past two decades, the City of Pittsburgh, neighboring municipalities, and the region’s wastewater authorities have arduously negotiated and ultimately entered into an interrelated array of judicial and administrative decrees, orders, and agreements mandating significant regional sewer overflow abatement. In this paper, I evaluate the trajectory and evolution of the sewer overflow issue in the Pittsburgh region with particular eye to its economics. I particularly and comparatively consider cost efficiency and allocation implications associated with alternative overflow abatement strategies. After considering key technical and institutional characteristics that particularize the sewer overflow situation in and around Pittsburgh, I review an array of apposite peer-reviewed modeling studies and examine ongoing innovative sewer overflow abatement strategies in other parts of the United States. My analyses strongly suggest the Pittsburgh region can realize substantive cost efficiencies – and arguably, equity – by implementing alternative sewer overflow abatement strategies as substitutes for or complements to presently-proposed approaches.

Although ALCOSAN (2012) has extensively evaluated an array of alternative strategies to achieve m... more Although ALCOSAN (2012) has extensively evaluated an array of alternative strategies to achieve mandated water quality and overflow abatement goals, ALCOSAN analyses -to date -ignore an entire set of stormwater management strategies proven effective and cost-efficient in other regions facing similar issues and edicts. Stormwater management strategies known variously as green infrastructure and low-impact development simply aim to reduce the amount of stormwater flowing into sewer conveyance systems. As demonstrated in many communities across the country (e.g., Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati 2012; Onondaga County, New York 2012; New York City Department of Environmental Protection 2011; Philadelphia Water Department 2009) these upstream, pre-pipe stormwater approaches can be strategically planned and implemented in conjunction with expanded conveyance, storage, and treatment capacities to achieve cost-effective sewer overflow abatement.

In this report -using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP: Saaty 1988) and Analytic Network Proces... more In this report -using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP: Saaty 1988) and Analytic Network Process (ANP: Saaty 2001) model implemented in SuperDecisions software, version 2.2.3 -we evaluate the benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks of four alternative future paths for the communities served by the sewer and stormwater infrastructure in the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) service area. We first briefly introduce a few of the most pertinent characteristics of the ALCOSAN service area along with some of the key issues facing the region, followed by presentation of our modeling approach, results, strengths, and limitations.

The ostensibly immovable object: reforming stormwater and sewer systems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvan... more The ostensibly immovable object: reforming stormwater and sewer systems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania What's the problem?

As hydrocarbons continue to be industriously blasted, fractured, and extracted out of deep-shale ... more As hydrocarbons continue to be industriously blasted, fractured, and extracted out of deep-shale formations across Appalachia, occasional pollution incidents and accidents of varying severities highlight the enduring need for responsible industry practices to protect environmental integrity and public health. Although self-regulation by deep-shale industry players represents a critical means for achieving compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, strategically-implemented public monitoring and enforcement can reinforce, incentivize, and induce scrupulous industry practices. In this paper, I integrate and examine a novel dataset to assess relationships among production, waste generation, and public regulatory inspection and enforcement strategies at deep-shale oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2012. My analyses suggest that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection strategically targets well inspections toward wells generating more liquid and solid wastes. These findings contribute to and build on existing literature assessing the strategic interactions between regulated firms and regulatory agencies regarding compliance and enforcement decisions, with particular implications concerning the role of inspection spillover effects in evaluating the efficiency and efficacy of public industry regulation. Future analyses will expand on and refine this work, dissecting the trajectories of production, waste, and regulation in this ascendant Appalachian industry.

Over the past decade, deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction has dramatically changed Pennsylvania com... more Over the past decade, deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction has dramatically changed Pennsylvania communities, landscapes, and economies. The significant liquid and solid waste streams generated by deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction activities present potential threats to ecological integrity and public health. Although regulatory agencies require deep-shale well operators to report a variety of data on hydrocarbon extraction activities in the Commonwealth, due to a data system crash at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, an entire year’s worth of deep-shale well waste data was irretrievably erased. These missing data complicate tenable analyses of deep-shale hydrocarbon extraction activities and assessment of associated impacts. In this paper, I explore, apply, and assess a few different methods for handling the digitally-effaced 2007 waste data: an available-data approach; a single-imputation regression approach; and a multiple-imputation stochastic regression approach. I show that the three different methods for handling the missing 2007 waste data lead to some significantly different inferential conclusions. My imputation analyses also indicate that the well wastes generated in 2007 were likely highly concentrated geographically, which may have created substantive localized impacts on water quality.

Allegheny County is entering an auspicious new era. Since 2008 -for the first time in over 50 yea... more Allegheny County is entering an auspicious new era. Since 2008 -for the first time in over 50 years -more taxpayers are moving into Allegheny County than out. 1 With a disciplined real estate sector, the county weathered the Lesser Depression better than much of the nation. 2 Allegheny County's diversified, servicecentered economy comprises a networked set of intelligent, innovative strong sectors with robustly growing employment and earnings. 3 Although old 4 , Allegheny County's workforce remain well-educated 4 and the region remains eminently affordable, especially for housing and health care 5 . From a fundamentally strong foundation forged during decades of cascading collapse and slow corrosion, the economy and occupants of Allegheny County are ready for a third renaissance 2 , a fourth economy 6 , and another winning season 7 .

In this paper, I apply dimension reduction and cluster analysis techniques to explore major axes ... more In this paper, I apply dimension reduction and cluster analysis techniques to explore major axes of similarity and divergence among the municipalities comprising Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. I show how these quantitative statistical techniques can be used to identify areas of potential political cooperation and discord among the 130 boroughs, townships, cities, and home-rule municipalities constituting the county. I briefly discuss potential implications of my findings in light of impending investments in the county’s sewer and stormwater infrastructure.