Pennsylvanians Strongly Support a Crackdown on Fracking. Will Allegheny County Deliver?

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]Update: In a resounding victory for Pennsylvanians and a vindication of public will, Allegheny County Council voted 12-3 to override County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto, codifying the […]
New Poll Shows PA Voters Want a Crackdown on Fracking

Pennsylvania has officially soured on fracking. A groundbreaking new opinion poll released today by the Ohio River Valley Institute shows that, by wide margins, state voters support a serious crackdown on fracking operations. The poll shows that voters across all demographics are deeply concerned about the impacts of drilling—and a majority want to end fracking […]
Destined to Fail: Why the Appalachian Natural Gas Boom Failed to Deliver Jobs & Prosperity and What It Teaches Us

An assessment of the systemic causes behind the natural gas industry’s failure to deliver economic prosperity to the 22 largest fracking counties across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Fact-Checking Fitzgerald on Fracking

In response to Pittsburgh protests over fracking and petrochemical development in the region, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald uttered a string of half-truths and factual distortions about the impacts of the industry. As a corrective to Fitzgerald and other industry boosters, the Ohio River Valley Institute is offering here a fact-based response. According to Don […]
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 […]
Risks for New Natural Gas Development in Appalachia

Higher prices are needed to save Appalachian natural gas, but the industry faces pressure from decarbonization and uncertain petrochemical markets.
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 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 […]
Fracking Counties Economic Impact Report

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.
ORVI Insider #6: Trump Won’t Like the Results of an Economic Impact Study on Fracking

A Message from Our Executive Director Back at my desk in Pennsylvania, I have the strong sensation of being in the eye of a storm; the past few months of frenzied political campaigning and voter education have crescendoed, Election Day has arrived, and the gaze of the nation is upon us as we all await […]