Are aliens green? Assessing foreign establishments' environmental conduct in the United States

Previous research has found that foreign-owned establishments often lack specific capabilities needed to respond to local business conditions and are held to a higher standard by local stakeholders. These establishments compensate, however, by possessing offsetting capabilities such as technological excellence. In this article, we investigate how these conflicting forces shape the environmental conduct of foreign-owned facilities. Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, we find that foreign-owned establishments generate more waste yet manage more waste than U.S.-owned establishments. We also find evidence that both domestic and foreign-owned firms generate more waste if they operate multiple facilities across multiple jurisdictions in the United States.