Another Gas Pipeline Expansion Could Drive More Fracking in Appalachia’s Gas Reserves
A new plan to expand a New England gas pipeline would drive more fracking in Appalachia’s colossal gas reserves. “Project Maple” is a proposal by the Canadian energy company Enbridge to expand its Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline by 25%, or 750 million cubic feet (MMcf) per day. Originally constructed in 1954 and with a current […]
Appalachia’s power plants by net generation and capacity factor
In all, the states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have 85 non-peaker coal and gas-fired power plants with capacities of 100 MW or greater. The following chart lists the plants alphabetically and indicates each plant’s owner, location, start date, nameplate capacity, fuel, 2023 generation, and 2023 capacity factor.
LNG Exports Are a Rotten Deal for Appalachians
In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan decried President Biden’s recent decision to pause liquified natural gas (LNG) export authorizations. Ryan, tugging on heartstrings, claimed that LNG exports and other new avenues for natural gas buildout are a “crucial bridge to a clean-energy future.” To hear well-paid gas industry […]
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 […]
The Meaning of MVP
Tucked amid the Biden administration’s cornucopia of climate initiatives was a poison pill: the greenlighting of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in Appalachia. When the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 essentially bulldozed the permitting review process for the pipeline, it accelerated a perilous feedback loop: gas extraction in Appalachia driving growth in gas-consuming infrastructure […]
Frackalachia Update: Peak Natural Gas and the Economic Implications for Appalachia
Appalachia’s largest gas-producing counties have continued their economic spiral, data show, as regional gas output begins to plateau.
Appalachia is Likely the Largest Source of Methane Emissions in the US
If it were its own country, Appalachia would be the third-largest producer of natural gas in the world, behind only Russia and the rest of the United States. And, as new measurements reveal, Appalachia is likely the source of more system-wide fossil fuel methane emissions than any other region in the United States. Methane […]
Oil & Gas: Central to Pennsylvania politics but not its economy
I’ve gotten better at resisting the urge to respond to every inaccurate claim, every attempt to mislead, and every rhetorical flourish that issues forth from the region’s oil and gas industry executives who, when they’re not claiming that natural gas is “clean energy”, are telling us that it doesn’t matter whether it’s clean or […]
ORVI in Southeastern Louisiana to Learn about a True Transition for Oil & Gas Workers
During the third week in March, I had the opportunity to travel to southeastern Louisiana to take part in several events sponsored by True Transition, a new group working to build a brighter future for oil and gas workers and communities across the country. For over a year, I have had the honor of serving […]
Inflation & Natural Gas: A Disease and its Carrier
Natural gas enters your home through your furnace, your appliances, and even through the electricity you use, much of which comes from gas-fired power plants. And that’s a problem because, not only is gas bad for your physical health (more on that later), it’s bad for your family’s financial health by making you more […]