What does a DRI plant in Arkansas mean for steelmaking in the Mon Valley?
US Steel’s investment plan raises questions about the future of steelmaking and the union workforce that powers it in Pennsylvania.
Falling Further Behind
The lagging US steel industry risks falling further behind—absent large-scale investment in low- or zero-emissions “green” steelmaking.
With Starfire Set to Break Ground on Landmark Kentucky Solar Project, Local Hiring Should Be a Priority
A landmark three-county solar array is coming to Southeast Kentucky’s coalfields, promising to be one of the nation’s largest renewables projects developed on former mine lands. But as developers prepare to break ground, questions remain around the project’s economic and community impacts. This month, the Kentucky Siting Board approved a 210-MW solar array, planned to […]
As Ford Touts EV “Breakthrough” Announcement at Unionized Plant in Kentucky, Workers at Its Nearby Joint Venture Battery Plant Prepare for Contested Union Election
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —— Ford, the nation’s largest employer of UAW autoworkers, will reveal plans to design and build a new electric vehicle and EV platform at an August 11th event that CEO Jim Farley likens to a “Model-T moment.” The announcement will be made at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky, fifty miles north of an […]
Potential Impact of Federal Workforce Layoffs on Ohio River Valley States
Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court gave the Trump administration the green light to continue with mass layoffs of federal workers. This decision came on the heels of multiple executive actions that have already led to mass firings within many federal government agencies. Additionally, on July 7th, the Trump administration extended the federal “hiring […]
Achieving Significant Local Hire at the Starfire Solar Project
On June 18, Senior Researcher Eric Dixon appeared before the Siting Board of the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to advocate the condition of the approval of the proposed 210-MW Starfire solar project in Appalachian Kentucky on further action needed to: ensure significant local hiring in the construction of the project, secure community benefits, and […]
Timeline: BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky
This page chronicles main events in the development of the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky, including the unionization effort at the facility. Updates will be added as future events unfold. Last updated August 8, 2025. Timeline May 20, 2021: Ford and South Korean energy company SK Innovation sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) […]
Big Promises, Big Questions: What the U.S. Steel-Nippon Deal Could Mean for the Mon Valley
It has been one week since President Donald Trump announced a “planned partnership” between United States Steel and Nippon Steel. The late-Friday statement, sent out on Truth Social just before a long holiday weekend, was light on details but claimed that the deal would bring at least 70,000 jobs and $14 billion to the US […]
Why Trying to Save Coal Is Costing Us More Than We Think
Let’s talk about coal. Yes—coal, the black rock that powered much of America’s past. Lately, some leaders have been trying to bring it back in a big way. But here’s the truth: no matter what policies are put in place, the coal industry is on its way out—and trying to prop it up is only […]
Tariffs and Appalachia
New tariffs on Mexico, China, and Canada stand to cut jobs, raise consumer prices, and shrink GDP in the short term in manufacturing- and energy-dependent Appalachia.