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Home > Newsroom > In the News > In the News 2002

Abt Associates in the News — 2002

Welcome to the Abt Associates' In the News Section.  Many members of our staff are frequently quoted as expert sources for news articles.  Below are summaries of selected articles in which our experts are cited.  Many of these summaries list on-line access information:  access is sometimes free, but sometimes a small fee is charged once the article is archived.  For more information or for a hard-copy of the original article, contact Corporate Communications at 617-520-2982, or e-mail newsroom@abtassoc.com.

In the News, December 2002

In the News, November 2002

In the News, October 2002

In the News, September 2002

In the News, June 2002

In the News, May 2002

In the News, April 2002

In the News, March 2002

In the News, February 2002

In the News, January 2002






December2002

This article cites a study by Abt Associates that says that at least 224 deaths in New Jersey each year could be avoided if power plants complied with existing pollution laws.


This editorial argues that the Bush administration's weakening of the Clean Air Act could lead to a disasterous increase in air pollution. It cites an Abt Associates report done for the EPA that estimates how many more tons of sulfer dioxide could be released under the new guidelines.


From the article: Emissions from the Midwestern plants contribute to 254 premature deaths in New England each year, including 71 to 74 in Massachusetts, according to a study for the Clean Air Task Force, a Boston-based environmental group. The group's consultant, Abt Associates, estimated that 181 of those deaths could be avoided if the 51 plants were forced to install new emissions controls.


November 2002

From the article: According to data compiled by Abt Associates, a consulting firm that has done clean-air work for the EPA, emissions from power plants contribute to as many as 23 deaths in the Gainesville area each year, primarily in the form of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.


TXU Electric disputes "bad numbers" provided by the EPA and used in an Abt Associates pollution report — they claim that SO2 emissions went down for three of their coal-burning power plants, instead of the marked increase the EPA numbers indicate. The cause of this discrepancy is being investigated.


From the article: "You don't know what you need to add if you don't know what you've got," said Andrea Hassol, an associate with Cambridge, Mass.-based Abt Associates Inc., a private company that conducts research and consulting concerning social policy.


The Abt study blames the Martin Lake Power Plant near Tatum and the Monticello plant in Titus County for 129 deaths from cancer or heart disease from pollutants released from 1999 through September 2000. It also lays 197 cases of chronic bronchitis at the gates of the two Northeast Texas plants.


The story is about a sulfer-dioxide report done by Abt for the Environmental Protection agency. It says that SO2 emissions are up in four power plants in Alabama, but overall state emissions are down due to market trading.


This article is about the high scores that nursing homes in the Littleton, MA area recieved from an Abt Associates study. Nursing homes were ranked in several categories, including "rate of infections, improvement in walking, the loss of ability to perform basic tasks and the rate of delerium experienced by patients."


This piece notes that Janet Ballantyne has been named Group Vice President of Abt Associates' International Development line of business. Noted is her previous 26 years of service in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and her having lead the development of the first USAID strategic plan and monitoring system. (fourth entry from the top)


This news story is based on findings in the recent Abt Associates report "What Do They Think? Welfare Recipients' Attitudes Toward Marriage and Childbearing" (available here). The study found, among other things, that 35 percent of 457 Delaware welfare mothers and 30 percent of 695 Indiana mothers agreed that welfare reform influenced them to postpone or stop childbearing.


October 2002

Staff from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) produced the American Indian Lands Environment Support Project (AILSEP). Abt Associates Inc. of Cambridge, MA provided technical support for the successful project. Special thanks goes to Anne Lassiter of the EPA's Enforcement and Capacity Outreach Office; she provided the vision and guidance for the project.


September 2002

Wendell J. Knox, president and CEO of Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA, will lecture on "Doing Business in Islam," February 17, 2003, Naples Council on World Affairs' 2002-2003 lecture series, Naples, Florida. Organized in 1981 by a former CIA director and three former U.S. ambassadors to Asia, the council "seeks to promote awareness and better understanding of the events, issues and forces affecting the United States and Americans individually in our relations with other nations," according to its press release. ("Former CIA director to highlight lecture series," Chris W. Colby, Naples News, Naples, FL, September 24, 2002) Hard copy Available


With "her background as a consultant in to Abt Associates in Cambridge in areas of law and public safety," Republican candidate for Massachusetts Lt. Governor, Kerry Healey, makes a "real asset on the Romney ticket." (The Boston Herald, editorial, September 9, 2002) Hard copy Available


Commissioned by the United States-based Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation, research conducted by Abt Associates Inc. of Cambridge, MA "graphically shows how Aids often tips families from poverty into destitution and it lays bare the development crisis caused by the pandemic. It also highlights the urgent need for substantially improved public services and support [programs] to reduce the human misery in many Aids-affected households" and "focuses on how households cope with HIV/Aids and particularly the financial implications of a chronically ill, often incapacitated, adult. The study…looked at 771 Aids-affected households in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Mpumulanga." ("Families Tipped into Destitution," Belinda Beresford, Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], September 27, 2002) Hard copy Available


"Cardiac and Interventional Radiology"
by Ed Susman, E-Hospital Journal, September 2002

This article cites a presentation by Abt Associates' Marc Botteman stating that angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitors, despite federal guidelines and their low cost per year-of-life-saved, are vastly underprescribed for certain heart problems. Hard Copy Available.


June 2002

This article is based on a report from Abt Associates Clinical Trials (AACT), about the potential money-saving and life-saving value that angiotensin converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors provide. Hard Copy Available.


May 2002

This article discusses the success of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program in the 1990's and the recent proposal by the House Ways and Means Committee to cut the program by 41 percent. While the rest of nation experienced a 16 percent drop per capita in cigarette smoking at the end of the decade, Massachusetts experienced a 36 percent drop. According to an Abt Associates evaluation of this program, Massachusetts saw the adult smoking rate drop from 23 to 18 percent from 1993 to 2000. Hard Copy Available. Also ran in The Berkshire Eagle and The Chronicle - Herald.


According to the latest statistics available from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maryland manufacturers released fewer toxic chemicals into the environment in 1999 that a decade ago. This article discusses a Capital News Service analysis of the 71 facilities that reported theses reductions and the mixed opinions surrounding the information. "The decrease in toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities could be an indication that the EPA's toxic release disclosure program is working," said Jeannie Cho, an Abt Associates analyst. Article also ran in The Montgomery Journal. Hard Copies Available.


In this article, Douglas McDonald, Abt Associates Principal Associate, discusses the benefits of telemedicine as an alternative for the prison system to reduce medical costs. According to the article, telemedicine provides prison inmates, with ailments that cannot be treated by prison medical staff, with the opportunity to have videoconferences with physicians for on-camera examinations. According to some prison financial officers, telemedicine saves money for prisons because there is no need to transport inmates. Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses an Abt Associates study that looks at state and federal spending for child care subsidies in 17 states post the enactment of the 1996 welfare reform law. According to the study, state and federal spending on child care per eligible family nearly doubled from 1997 to 1999, and the states that participated in the study are meeting child care needs of welfare moms. Hard Copy Available.


April 2002

The World Bank's Fourth Annual Rural Week met from March 28-31, 2000 in Chantilly, VA. Participants focused on "Poverty or Prosperity: Rural People in a Globalized Economy." John Mellor of Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA, stressed that the structure of growth is the critical factor in poverty reduction. He explained each step in the structure and noted the factors, including policy, that do or do not influence each step and which influences are preferred. Hard copy available or contact Laura Ivers at laurai@iisd.org or contact http://www.iisd.ca/sd/ruralweek2000/index.html.


At the April 2002 conference of the American Educational Research Association in New Orleans, LA, researchers from Abt Associates Inc. "identified several practices common among effective teachers in high-poverty schools," in both reading and math, among them are "straight forward skill-drilling," reading aloud in class, reading a wide variety of material, utilizing individual worksheets in class, and one-to-one instruction. Hard Copy Available or contact www.educationdaily.com


This article discusses an Abt Associates report that looks at the effectiveness of welfare reform. According to the report, six out of ten welfare recipients in Indiana, before and after welfare reform, were still living in poverty in 2000. Erick Beecroft, Abt Associates economist, said the quarterly employment rates, over time for recipients under the new rules is about four or five percentage point higher that for recipients under the old rules. Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that predicts that power plant emissions will cause 6,000 deaths in 2007 and 14,000 cases of bronchitis and 140,000 asthma attacks. According to the article, Main has the highest prevalence of adult asthma in the nation and air pollution is one of the triggers of asthma. The pollutants include sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles. Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that air pollution from power plants in Ohio and other states could cause 550 premature deaths in Pennsylvania in the next five years. Hard Copy Available.


In this article, Leland Deck, Abt Associates Vice President, said, "fifty percent to seventy percent of the deaths in Pennsylvania could be prevented if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency vigorously pursued existing new source review lawsuits against 51 of the nation's dirtiest power plants." This article focuses on an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that air pollution from Pennsylvania's surrounding states could cause premature deaths in 550 Pennsylvanians in 2007. The report also estimated that pollution from 83 power plants could lead to 6,000 deaths nationwide among people 30 and older. Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that air pollution from Pennsylvania's surrounding states could cause premature deaths in 550 Pennsylvanians in 2007. In 2007, new, lower federal limits on power plant releases are to be in place. According to Leland Deck, Abt Associates Vice President, "These figures are based on what is expected to happen even after those regulations are in place." The report also estimated that pollution from 83 power plants could lead to 6,000 deaths nationwide among people 30 and older. Hard Copy Available. Also ran in the "Ridgway Star," "The Inter-Mountain," "Lancaster New Era," "Bedford Gazette," "Piqua Daily Call," "Wapakoneta Daily News," "Parkersburg Sentinel," "The Times Leader," "The Morning Call," "The Morning Herald," "The Charleston Gazette," "The Chillicothe Gazette," "Altoona Mirror," and "Warren Times Observer."


According to an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, emissions from power plants in Ohio and other states could cause 550 premature deaths in Pennsylvania in 2007. Hard Copy Available. Article also ran in the "The Mercury"


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that Duke Energy, a utility company serving customers in the central and western parts of the Carolinas, could cause premature deaths from air pollution in 560 adults a year in the Carolinas. In addition, the report also estimates that pollution from more than 80 power plants nationwide will cause nearly 6,000 premature deaths in the year 2007. Hard Copy Available. (Also appeared in The Robesonian, April 19, 2002; Salisbury Post, April 19, 2002, Times - News, April 20, 2002; Sun Journal, April 20, 2002; High Point Enterprise, April 20, 2002; The Herald, April 20, 2002; Daily Herald, April 19, 2002)


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that air pollution from generating plants of Atlanta-based Southern Co. will cause an estimated 1,200 premature deaths a year starting in 2007. The report also estimated that Southern Co. power plants would cause 900 new cases of chronic bronchitis per year. Hard Copy Available.


According to an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, 400 North Carolina residents will die prematurely from power plant emissions in 2007. The Bush administration has proposed a new program to reduce pollution called Clear Skies. Critics of this proposal claim that the administration will be letting power companies off the hook. Hard Copy Available.


This is an interview of Abt Associates' Leland Deck conducted by Jack Beady and broadcast on radio station WBUR(NPR/Boston). The interview mainly regarded a recent environmental study on the health impacts of particulate matter generated by power plants. The report in question is available here. Audio no longer on-line.


This article discusses an Abt Associates report, prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund, that estimates that pollution from more than 80 power plants will cause nearly 6,000 premature deaths in the year 2007. The utility industry, which owns these power plants, takes issue with the report's accuracy. (free registration required) Hard Copy Available. (Article also appeared in The Palm Beach Post, The Oregonian, Akron Beacon Journal, The Scranton Times-Tribune, and The Kentucky Enquirer.)


According to an Abt Associates report released yesterday, eight utilities will contribute to nearly 6,000 premature deaths. This article discusses the report that was prepared for the Rockefeller Family Fund and the response it has received from utility companies. Article also appeared in Telluride Weekly Planet, The Desert Sun, Sarasota Herald - Tribune, The Providence Journal, Arizona Republic, and the St. Petersburg Times. Hard Copies Available.


This listing announces the $20.7 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contract awarded to Abt Associates to provide economic and risk analysis for the EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics. Hard Copies Available. (Also appeared in the Washington Post - City Edition, April 14, 2002)


March 2002

The article discusses the controversy surrounding the use of alternative energy fuels in Illinois and ongoing discussion of the use of coal-fired power plants. According to an Abt Associates' study, air pollution from coal-fired power plants is responsible for 1,700 premature deaths and 33,000 asthma attacks in Illinois each year. Hard Copy Available.


February 2002

This article discusses a workshop, facilitated on behalf of South Africa's national Education Department and conducted by Abt Associates' Consultants Seth Mazibuko and Juliann Moodley. The workshop brought together 15 Eastern Cape Schools' mathematics and science educators and their principals to address school improvement plans. The workshop aimed to empower the educators to increase the number of learners, particularly girls, taking mathematics and physical science. Hard Copy Available.


In this Letter to the Editor, Connie Steigmeyer, a Clinical Coordinator in Indiana, writes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has contracted with Abt Associates to conduct a telephone survey in February and March, 2002, in throughout the United States. The survey will ask Medicare beneficiaries if they have had a flu or pneumonia shot. According to this article, the survey will help determine how many beneficiaries actually take advantage of this benefit to protect themselves from the flu and pneumonia. Hard Copy Available.


According to an Abt Associates report for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "particulate pollution from fossil-fuel-fired power plants cuts short the lives of 30,000 Americans every year, including 1,740 in Florida." This article looks at the controversy surrounding the recommendations by the Bush administration to provide subsidies and tax breaks to energy companies. Article also appeared in South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses an Abt Associates study that focused on "Families Achieving Independence in Montana," a welfare-to-work program that provides cash payment to poor families. According to the study, one in ten families managed to become self-sufficient. The study said that Montana's program did a good job of moving families from welfare to work, but could do a better job of tracking the financial fate of those leaving welfare. Article also appeared in the Miles City Star. Hard Copies Available.


This commentary discusses the need for affordable and quality healthcare in the United States. As part of several studies that Blue Cross and Blue Shield is conducting, an Abt Associates study for this organization is examining healthcare cost-shifting from private to public sectors and how it affects future costs trends. "The study is based on econometric research that estimates the magnitude of cost-shifting and the factors that contribute to it - including an analysis of the relative reimbursement of public and private payers." Hard Copy Available.


This article discusses the impact of welfare reform in Delaware and the differing opinions about the success of welfare reform nationally. According to a report issued by Abt Associates, four years after they began receiving welfare, only one Delaware recipient in five had a job with above-poverty wages and health insurance. David Fein, Abt Associates Senior Associate says, "The end of welfare has by no means meant the end for assistance." Hard copy available.


January 2002

This article discusses the study, "Cost and Quality of Child Care in Massachusetts," which was commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Education. According to the study conducted by the Center for Research on Women of Wellesley College and Abt Associates, the cost and quality of preschool care and education vary widely in the state, and centers serving children from predominantly low and moderate income families are less likely to receive the level of quality early care and education that will provide a firm foundation for school and later in life. Hard Copy Available.

See our Press Release.


According to a study conducted by Abt Associates, it is estimated that more than 30,000 deaths a year are related to air pollution from power plant emissions. This column discusses the controversy surrounding the Bush administration's possible plans to ease clean-air rules and the viewpoints of energy lobbyists and industry representatives. Hard Copy Available.


According to Abt Associates Vice President Dick Pace, poor customer service will drive a company's consumers to its competitors. This article discusses the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and sound financial health. Article also appeared in the Detroit News, Pensacola News Journal, Rockford Register Star, The Courier - Journal, The News Examiner, Lancaster Eagle - Gazette, and News Journal. Hard Copies Available.


This article discusses the concerns expressed by Democratic lawmakers if the Bush administration plans to substantially ease air pollution standards for coal-fired power plants come to pass. According to a report issued by Abt Associates, 30,100 deaths a year, nationwide, are related to power plant emissions. (for a fee) by searching archives for "Abt Associates". Hard copy available.

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