Whatβs a Human Life Worth? The E.P.A. Says Zero Dollars. NYT: Science By:Maxine Joselow 21 January 2026 at 05:03 The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. Β© Bettmann/Getty ImagesLos Angeles smog in 1979. For decades, government agencies have used a theoretical value of human life when calculating the costs and benefits of new regulations.