NEW REPORT: Future Appalachian Shale Gas Drilling Unprofitable and Petrochemical Buildout Unlikely
JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, March 23, 2021 – New gas field developments in Appalachia are unlikely to be profitable as the US energy system undergoes rapid decarbonization, according to a new report from the Stockholm Environment Institute’s US Center (SEI) and the Ohio River Valley Institute. Rosy industry projections of a gas-fueled petrochemical buildout led many Appalachian […]
The true cost of cleaning up historic damage from the coal industry
This afternoon, Congress will hold a hearing on a slew of bills that seek to clean up land and water damaged by the coal industry before it was regulated in 1977. The hearing rightly highlights the urgency of reauthorizing fees on coal production that fund cleanup, which are set to expire in September even though […]
A federal solution is needed to address hazardous abandoned wells
On Thursday the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in the US House will be holding a hearing on the federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program to discuss reauthorization of the program and how it can help local economies and the environment. The AML program was created in 1977 under the Surface Mining Control and […]
Misdirection: How we’re misled about the natural gas boom’s economic impacts
The Ohio River Valley Institute’s recent report on the nearly complete failure of the Appalachian natural gas boom to deliver on promises of jobs and prosperity in the region’s major gas-producing counties triggered a great deal of blowback from the industry and its defenders. Industry lobbyists and advocacy groups and their allies in congress castigated […]
Critical Condition: “The Shale Crescent” and the Dream of an Appalachian Petrochemical Boom
On February 3rd, 2021, the Ohio River Valley Institute convened a forum of experts from finance, policymaking, and the petrochemical industry to assess the future prospects for the creation of a petrochemical hub in the greater Ohio Valley. View a recording of the forum here. The Shale Crescent Vision For more than a decade, policymakers […]
ORVI Insider #12: Fossil Fuel Subsidies, LNG Trains, and a Window into the West Virginia Legislature
ORVI Insider March 2, 2021 A Message from Our Executive Director Many of us are nearing a year of isolation in our homes, but recently it feels like the very ground beneath our feet is changing when it comes to the oil and gas sector. Our report on […]
The Failure of Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Pennsylvania
$3.8 billion is enough money to run the entire economy of a small country. But it’s just barely enough to cover the cost of Pennsylvania’s annual subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. Those subsidies are described in painstaking detail in an excellent new analysis by PennFuture, “Buried Out of Sight.” Researchers at PennFuture were able […]
Proposed Belmont County, OH ethane cracker project postponed . . . again
The Ohio River Valley Institute issued the following press release earlier today. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Newest delay for Belmont County cracker reinforces need for new economic development strategies JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, February 18, 2021 – Today’s statement in the Bangkok Post by PTTGC chief executive Kongkrapan Intarajang saying the company will need more time to find […]
ORVI REPORT – Appalachia’s Natural Gas Counties: How dreams of jobs and prosperity turned into almost nothing
NEW REPORT: NATURAL GAS COUNTIES’ ECONOMIES SUFFERED AS PRODUCTION BOOMED Since the start of the fracking boom, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia’s biggest gas-producing counties have seen declines in their share of jobs, income, and population February 10, 2021 (The report was updated on February 12, 2021 to correct a data transcription error that did […]
ORVI Insider #11: Energy Experts Say “There Is No Business Case” for Appalachian Fracking
ORVI Insider February 9, 2021 A Message from Our Executive Director Last week, we hosted a forum on the future of the oil and gas industry’s “Shale Crescent” vision for Appalachia. If you were not able to join us live, you can view the full recording on […]