Carbon Capture: Description, History, Effectiveness, & Cost
An Overview For nearly a century carbon capture technologies have been used by the oil refining industry to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from other marketable gasses. Then, in the 1970’s oil producers began injecting carbon dioxide into declining oil wells to boost production, a process known as “enhanced oil recovery” (EOR). Finally, in the 1990s, […]
Carbon dioxide pipelines: a dangerous part of Appalachia’s proposed carbon capture boondoggle
On a February evening in 2020, a carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline ruptured near Satartia, Mississippi, causing a plume of CO2 to engulf the community. Within minutes, dozens of residents collapsed in their homes and vehicles. Cars stalled, including emergency vehicles trying to reach the scene. The incident hospitalized 45 Satartia residents and forced 200 to […]
What is a hydrogen hub?
In July 2024, the US Department of Energy officially awarded $30 million to the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, or ARCH2, the first tranche of a total $925 million allocated for its development. The funding announcement marked the first concrete step toward the construction of the hub, which will primarily produce “blue” hydrogen made from […]
Hydrogen 101
Recently, a new form of energy has generated lots of buzz in the Ohio River Valley and across the country: hydrogen. The federal government is pouring billions of dollars into new hydrogen “hubs” that would bring large-scale production to our region and several others across the country. Fossil fuel companies bill hydrogen as the “clean” […]
Tipping Point
Key Takeaways: Carbon capture & sequestration (CCS) is a still unproven and spectacularly expensive decarbonization technology that may have value in industrial sectors that have no other viable decarbonization options. The power generating sector is a very appealing target for CCS proponents because coal and gas-fired power plants produce well over half of all point […]
The greatest hydrogen risk facing Pennsylvania policymakers
Lately we hear a great deal about hydrogen’s environmental and economic promise. But hydrogen deployment also carries risks, not just for health and safety, but economic risks, including higher prices, taxes, and utility bills along with little potential for job growth. That’s why I joined the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee’s recent hearing […]
The Tri-State CCS Hub and The Return of The Bad Deal
Do you know a bad deal when you see it? Possibly not, if the deal has to do with something as arcane as leasing underground pore space to an oil and gas company that wants to dispose of carbon dioxide. But that’s the kind of deal property owners and elected officials need to start figuring […]
The Rhodium Group’s Economic Impact Report on Carbon Capture and Storage
Attorneys who specialize in contracts know that a single phrase or just a word can completely alter the meaning and effect of a contract. The same is true . . . maybe even more true . . . of economic impact reports, which by their nature are speculative and rely heavily on assumptions, caveats, […]
2023 in Review
Together, a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia is possible. That’s the vision that has geared our data-driven research, guided our outreach and campaigns, and grounded our work in the region’s community and culture ever since the Ohio River Valley Institute’s very beginning. It’s now been more than three years since we laid out our […]
For Decarbonization, Carrots May Be Popular, But They’re Far More Expensive Than Sticks
The Inflation Reduction Act relies far more heavily on carrots than it does on sticks to induce industries to mitigate their carbon emissions. Tax credits for technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration actually exceed the costs companies would incur to implement and operate them, making the tax credits potentially valuable revenue streams. In some […]