Bitcoin Mining Breathes Life into Zombie Coal Plants
Bitcoin is on the verge of going mainstream, with some companies — and even countries — recognizing the cryptocurrency as legal tender. The market cap of Bitcoin now surpasses both Facebook and Tesla, and it also recently became the 13th largest currency in the world. At the same time, the dizzying highs (and occasional lows) […]
Why the Fracked Gas to Plastics Pipeline Has No Future in the Ohio River Valley
Four years ago, petrochemical industry boosters predicted a new wave of industry would roll across the natural gas-producing region of Appalachia, spurring billions of dollars in capital investments and a veritable economic renaissance in a place that sorely needed it. A 2017 American Chemistry Council study claimed that the region’s bountiful shale reserves could fuel […]
Another round of Appalachian coal plant retirements may be imminent
January 25, 2022 may become the day the music died for a number of the remaining Appalachian coal-fired power plants. That’s when PJM, the regional transmission operator (RTO) that manages wholesale energy markets in all or parts of 13 mid-Atlantic and midwestern states and the District of Columbia, will hold a “capacity auction” to lock […]
Sloganeering politicians and CEO’s and the myth of energy independence
Politicians and CEOs, Republicans and Democrats, need to stop invoking “energy independence” because they don’t really mean it . . . that is, unless they truly believe in transition to clean, renewable resources.
Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro Charges Mariner East Pipeline Developer with Environmental Crimes, Reflecting Widespread Support for a Crackdown on Fracking
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro charged Mariner East 2 Pipeline owner Energy Transfer with a total of 48 counts of environmental crimes last Tuesday in a landmark crackdown that reflects Pennsylvania voters’ overwhelming concern about the impacts of fracking and related activities. In a hearing, Shapiro’s office revealed that, on multiple occasions, Energy Transfer allowed […]
Mapping the Cost of Widespread CCUS Adoption
New Ohio River Valley Institute research finds that the broad-scale adoption of carbon capture, use, and sequestration (CCUS) would come with a price tag upwards of $100 billion dollars per year. A bevy of proposed legislation in Congress would hoist that bill on regular taxpayers and ratepayers. What would CCUS adoption mean for your wallet? […]
New Report Finds Proposed Carbon Capture, Use, and Sequestration (CCUS) Bills Would Raise Electricity Costs by 25%
With a price tag of $100 billion/year, widespread adoption of CCUS in the electric system would spark outrage if its cost showed up in our monthly electric bills. But members of Congress, including some climate hawks, seem to be coalescing around legislation that would make us pay through our taxes instead. West Virginia Senator Joe […]
Year in Review
The Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) launched one year ago, in August 2020, as an independent, nonprofit think tank designed to equip the region’s residents and decision-makers with the policy research and practical tools they need to advance long-term solutions to some of Appalachia’s most significant challenges. The Institute produces data-driven research and proposes policies […]
ORVI Insider #22: Our First Year in Review
ORVI Insider: Our First Year in Review The Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) launched one year ago, in August 2020, as an independent, nonprofit think tank designed to equip the region’s residents and decision-makers with the policy research and practical tools they need to bolster ongoing campaigns and community organizing and advance long-term […]
PTTGCA’s “indefinite delay” reminds Ohio Valley leaders of the need for a viable economic development strategy
According to a recent report from S&P Global/Platts, “PTTGC America’s final investment decision on a new petrochemical complex in southeast Ohio remains on indefinite hold until the company secures a new partner in the project, the company said in an email Aug. 25.” The existence of an indefinite delay, which the company publicly denied in […]