NON-USE VALUE IN NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS: THE NESTUCCA OIL SPILL

A contingent valuation (CV) study that attempts to estimate non-use damages from the Nestucca spill was reviewed. The CV study faces formidable obstacles because it focuses on a controversial subject, oil spills, about which the public is known to have exaggerated perceptions, and because respondents may not have well defined dollar values for the environment. An examination of survey responses leads us to conclude that these problems are significant, and that, despite the substantial efforts by well known CV researchers, the results provide no basis for estimating damages due to this spill.