Bio
Dr. Andrew Bechard is a resource economist with nearly 10 years of experience in assessing the economic impacts of environmental issues, particularly harmful algal blooms and natural resource damages. He provides rigorous economic insights using the advanced statistical analysis of complex environmental and economic data sets that drive data-informed decision-making for industry leaders, policymakers, and litigators. He actively contributes to numerous peer-reviewed journals as both an author and a reviewer, and his research is cited in the 2022 U.S. Congress Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation report on the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2021. Dr. Bechard is a dedicated member of several professional organizations, including the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and the Environmental Business Council of New England.
Relevant Experience
Natural Resources Assessment
Natural Resource Damage Litigation Support Service, Arkansas, California, Missouri, and Texas — Assisting in the defense of several claims for damages to natural resources from oil releases with potential injury to ecological services and human uses of resources.
Environmental Economics
Carbon Market Feasibility, West Coast, United States — Provided economic analysis involving the tradeoffs, potential revenue, and costs of entering and participating in a carbon credit market.
Impacts of Climate-Related Policies on Fuel Prices, West Coast, United States — Provided economic analysis involving the impacts of climate-related policies on consumer prices for gasoline and fuel.
Impacts of Climate-Related Policies on Supply Chain, Louisiana — Provided economic analysis involving the impacts of climate-related policies on supply chain prices for select chemicals.
Certainty of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sustainability Goals, Oklahoma — Conducted a Monte Carlo analysis to advise clients on uncertainty surrounding their greenhouse gas emissions estimates.
Net Environmental Benefit Analysis, Australia; Brazil; California; Israel; North Sea; Trinada and Tobago — Provided analysis around the economic and environmental impacts of various decommissioning options of an end-of-life oil rig.
Statistical Analysis
DDx in Greater Ontario Vineyards, Toronto, Canada — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of DDx in vineyards. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Metals in Fly Ash, California — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of fly ash in landfills. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Lead in Telecommunication Cables, United States — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of lead in areas around telecommunication cables. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Litigation Support
Natural Resource Damage Litigation Support Service, Arkansas, California, Missouri, and Texas — Assisting in the defense of several claims for damages to natural resources from oil releases with potential injury to ecological services and human uses of resources.
Offshore Energy
Net Environmental Benefit Analysis, Australia; Brazil; California; Israel; North Sea; Trinada and Tobago — Provided analysis around the economic and environmental impacts of various decommissioning options of an end-of-life oil rig.
Fate and Transport
DDx in Greater Ontario Vineyards, Toronto, Canada — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of DDx in vineyards. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Metals in Fly Ash, California — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of fly ash in landfills. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Lead in Telecommunication Cables, United States — Provided analysis involving the statistical significance of the presence and causes of lead in areas around telecommunication cables. Demonstrated understanding of fate and transport of these chemicals in the context of the potentially impacted sites.
Education & Credentials
Ph.D., Economics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, 2022
M.B.A., Business Administration, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, 2021
M.A., Economics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, 2018
M.A., Mathematics, Rhode Island College, Providence, Rhode Island, 2017
M.Ed., Education, Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island, 2017
B.A., Mathematics and Economics, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, 2015
Continuing Education
OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER
OSHA 8-Hour HAZWOPER Supervisor
First Aid/CPR/AED Certified
eRailSafe Certified (2024)
Professional Affiliations
Member of Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Member of Environmental Business Council of New England
Peer Reviewer
Environmental Health Insights, Frontiers in Marine Science, Frontiers in Protistology, Harmful Algae, International Journal of Dynamics and Control, Journal of Sports Economics, Marine and Freshwater Harmful Algae and Protists
Other
Publications
Bechard, A., and C. Lang. 2024. The human health effects of harmful algal blooms in Florida: The importance of high-resolution data. Harmful Algae 132:102584.
Bechard, A., C. Lang, and S. Pearson-Merkowitz. 2024. Voter approval of bond referendums: The role of bond amount and ballot characteristics. State Politics & Policy Quarterly 24 (1):53–76.
Bechard, A. 2023. Seafood consumption during harmful algal blooms: The impact of information regarding safety and health. Harmful Algae 123:102387.
Bechard, A. 2020. Economic losses to fishery and seafood related businesses during harmful algal blooms. Fisheries Research 230:105678.
Bechard, A. 2020. The economic impacts of harmful algal blooms on tourism: an examination of southwest Florida using a spline regression approach. Natural Hazards 104:593–609.
Bechard, A. 2020. External costs of harmful algal blooms using hedonic valuation: The impact of Karenia brevis on southwest Florida. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 5:10019.
Bechard, A. 2020. Gone with the wind: Declines in property values as harmful algal blooms are blown towards the shore. The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. doi: 10.1007/s11146-020-09749-6.
Bechard, A. 2020. Harmful algal blooms and tourism: The economic impact to counties in southwest Florida. Review of Regional Studies 50.
Bechard, A. 2020. Discount functions and the use of the memoryless property in dynamic economic analysis. International Journal of Dynamics and Control 8(3). doi: 10.1007/s40435-020-00615-0.
Bechard, A. 2019. Red tide at morning, tourists take warning? County-level economic impacts of harmful algal blooms in southwest Florida. Harmful Algae 85:101689.