Derek C. Wietelman

Economist

Biography

Welcome! I am an applied microeconomist who specializes in environmental and resource economics. I often study the economics of energy and water resources. My current work aims to:

Understand the distributional and welfare implications of drought-induced water conservation mandates.
Identify the impact of lead exposure and lead pipe remediation efforts by water utilities on children’s health and behavioral outcomes.
Estimate household preferences for voluntary cost-share programs designed to improve surface water quality outcomes.

I am a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder, housed in the Institute of Behavioral Science. In 2026, I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland.

This is a personal research website. Any statements presented here are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of any of my employers, past or present.

Working Papers

Derek C. Wietelman, Casey J. Wichman, Daniel A. Brent (2025). Conservation and Distributional Consequences of Pricing Scarce Water During Droughts. R&R, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

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Youngho Kim, David Newburn, Erik Lichtenberg, Derek C. Wietelman, Haoluan Wang (2025). Emissions Trading Programs for Afforestation: Interactions with Federal Agricultural Conservation Programs.

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Publications

Joshua Blonz, Karen Palmer, Casey J. Wichman, Derek C. Wietelman (2025). Smart Thermostats, Automation, and Time-Varying Prices. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Vol. 17(1), 90–125.

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Yusuke Kuwayama, Sheila M. Olmstead, Derek C. Wietelman, Jiameng Zheng (2020). Trends in Nutrient-Related Pollution as a Source of Potential Water Quality Damages: A Case Study of Texas, USA. Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 724, 137962.

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Arthur G. Fraas, Randall W. Lutter, Derek C. Wietelman (2019). The Energy Paradox in Seemingly Competitive Industries: The Use of Energy-Efficient Equipment on Heavy-Duty Tractor Trailers. Energy Policy, Vol. 129, 467–480.

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Michelle H.W. Lee, Ashley Clark, John Rupp, Derek C. Wietelman, John D. Graham (2019). Public Opinion Toward Hydraulic Fracturing: The Effect of Beyond Compliance and Voluntary Third-Party Certification. Energy Policy, Vol. 128, 306–315.

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Derek C. Wietelman, Richard T. Melstrom (2017). The Effect of Listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a Threatened Species on Rural Property Values. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 191, 155–161.

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