Political Economy Research Institute
The Political Economy Research Institute is an institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst which, according to its mission statement, "...promotes human and ecological well-being through our original research. PERI was established in 1998 by Robert Pollin and Gerald Epstein as an independent research unit inside the University. The money for its foundation came from the personal wealth of one of its co-directors, Robert Pollin, and his father, Abe Pollin. Co-director Pollin's personal wealth remains the main source of financing for PERI's operations nowadays.Toxic 100
PERI's Toxic 100 list includes one hundred United States companies ranked by the amount of air pollution produced and the relative toxicity of the pollutants, as determined by PERI at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The top five companies from the adjusted 2016 index are Alcoa, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, General Electric, ExxonMobil and Berkshire Hathaway.
Toxic scores are calculated by the formula:
Emissions are measured in millions of pounds. Population exposure is based on the proximity of nearby residents, and factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks. Toxicity is per the US EPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators.
