Measuring the ‘Cost’ of a Disaster
A lot has happened since ORVI originally published our post on the disastrous toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Cleanup efforts are still underway by the railroad operator, Norfolk Southern, but they have raised new questions about the safe transport of contaminated soil and water on public roadways to state disposal sites. New water […]
Green Steel in the Ohio River Valley: The Timing is Right for the Rebirth of a Clean, Green Steel Industry
A transition to fossil fuel-free “green” steelmaking could grow steel-related jobs and slash carbon emissions.
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 […]
Black workers helped build Appalachia’s economy. Today, they’re still shortchanged.
Here’s a name you don’t often read in Appalachian history books: Bill Worthington. Bill was a Black coal miner from Harlan County, Kentucky, and a member of the United Mine Workers of America. Bill played a pivotal role in historic labor disputes in Harlan County in the 1970s and helped organize the National Black […]
A Clean Energy Pathway for Southwestern Pennsylvania
Our blueprint for clean energy transition, the region’s first, would create jobs and curb emissions more effectively than natural gas- and carbon capture-powered pathways.
Worker Housing: A Pressing Economic Development Need, an Important Economic Development Tool—The Case of Ohio
Economic growth—the expansion and enrichment of business activity—is a narrow goal, easy to explain and understand: “More jobs for the community.” Economic development—expansion and enrichment of a community—is a broader goal: hard to explain, often fraught with disagreement over community needs. State and local governments invest heavily in strategies to create economic growth, but […]
ORVI Makes Waves at the 2022 Global Clean Energy Action Forum
Last week marked the close of the Clean Energy Ministerial’s inaugural Global Clean Energy Action Forum, a three-day conference on accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy. Billed as the “biggest energy event of the year,” the forum welcomed more than 6,000 energy leaders representing governments, industries, NGOs, and communities from around the world. […]
Report Preview: A Clean Energy Pathway for Western Pennsylvania
[button link=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Decarbonization-Report-Preview.pdf” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Download[/button] Transitioning to clean energy means job growth, shared prosperity, and a safer, cleaner future for Western Pennsylvania. ORVI’s forthcoming decarbonization study, produced by Strategen Consulting, describes an energy transition pathway for the ten-county region of Western Pennsylvania that reduces emissions, cuts costs, and creates jobs more effectively than any […]
Coal Plant Community Playbook
An overview of federal, state, and local resources, as well as best practice examples, for communities facing coal-fired power plant retirements.
Here’s How Appalachian States Can Create “Good-Paying, Union Jobs” Cleaning Up Mines.
In March, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) hosted the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy on a tour of West Virginia’s coalfields. After visiting a proposed steel mill in Mason County, they visited a center that educates the public about stream restoration and native wildlife. West Virginia’s need for […]