Report: New Gas Development for LNG, Data Centers “Destined to Disappoint”
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. —— The race to expand Appalachian natural gas production in anticipation of new power demand for AI data centers and increased export capacity of liquified natural gas (LNG) is unlikely to generate long-term job growth or local prosperity, according to a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute. “For over a decade, […]
Data centers are driving pipeline expansions and production growth in Appalachia
Appalachian gas production has been hamstrung by a slowdown in pipeline construction; data center demand could change that. A planned buildout of new, AI-specialized data centers could unlock enough energy demand across the eastern half of the US to drive up Appalachian gas production and spur expansion of the pipelines to transport it. Appalachian gas […]
Misleading and Just Plain Wrong
The central claim of the Heritage Foundation’s special report that, because of New York’s ban on fracking, counties in the Marcellus region “lost out on around $11,000 per resident or $27,000 per household” is simply wrong. Why? Because . . . Very little of the money invested in or earned by fracking ever lands […]
A Month from Hell
Key Points Northern Appalachia has, for a decade and a half, premised its economic development strategies on a strategic triad of natural gas, petrochemicals, and most recently hydrogen. Natural gas expansion has proven itself incapable of delivering on promises of jobs and economic prosperity. Meanwhile petrochemicals and hydrogen don’t seem capable of getting off the […]
The Carbon Implications of Ammonia Production
The US is on the verge of an ammonia ‘boom,’ which could expand fracking and incentivize risky carbon storage infrastructure. But as with any boom, industrial expansion will eventually bring a bust. At least 37 new projects have been proposed around the country which could increase ammonia production by over 350% within a decade. Part […]
What does Appalachia have to do with LNG?
The Biden administration’s pause on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits is over. On February 14, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued an order conditionally granting Commonwealth LNG to export liquefied natural gas from its proposed terminal near Cameron, Louisiana. So now the LNG buildout is steamrolling ahead, emboldened by the Trump administration’s vow […]
The Uncertain Ammonia Industry, Present & Future
Layers of uncertainty cloud new ammonia markets, casting shadows over planned buildout across the US.
Load Growth Fever, LNG, and the Risk of Higher Electric Rates
Meeting load growth forecasts with new natural gas generation could cause double-digit hikes in the price of electricity.
Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support stricter regulations on fracking
Nine in ten Pennsylvania voters support stricter regulations on the fracking industry, new polling shows.
The peril, politics, and price of fracking waste
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris recently announced that, if elected, she would not ban fracking, re-igniting a debate that has roiled national politics again and again. Her new position seems to be based on the mistaken belief that fracking enjoys public support, when, in fact, an array of public opinion research shows that a clear majority […]