Renewable Energy: The New Texas Tea
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia should try it instead of throwing up barriers In 2009, Texas was the nation’s biggest consumer of coal for the generation of electricity. By 2019 Texas had cut its consumption of coal by a third and replaced it with . . . If you expect the next words to be […]
Three new barriers to Appalachian petrochemical expansion
How Saudi Arabia may cripple the US fracking boom and the Appalachian petrochemical buildout along with it It’s hard to conceive of a worse scenario for the nascent Appalachian petrochemical industry than a world in which the price of oil is chronically low, competition from more efficient producers of ethylene is increasing, and growth in […]
Lies, damned lies, and economic impact studies
Why the economic impacts of an Appalachian petrochemical buildout won’t meet expectations A 2017 economic impact study from the American Chemistry Council paints a glowing picture of jobs growth and economic development accompanying a buildout of petrochemical facilities in Appalachia. But, we’ve been here before. We were told the same thing about the Appalachian natural […]
Nick DeIuliis’ 9 Irrefutable Energy Truths Refuted
CNX Resources Corporation CEO, Nick DeIuliis, is a veritable rock star proponent of what he calls “the natural gas economy”. Videos of his speeches are widely shared within the Appalachian natural gas and petrochemical communities, he is frequently sought out for commentary by reporters, and he is generally regarded as one of the most articulate and […]
Top economists tell OH, PA, WV governors petrochemical boom is a non-starter
The following public letter concerning economic development, the petrochemical industry, and the need for more viable and sustainable strategies was sent to the governors of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania on June 15, 2020. See this background brief to learn more about the rationale and motivation for the letter. June 15, 2020 Dear Governors DeWine, […]
Background brief: A letter to the governors
On June 15, 2020 a group of seven prominent economists and policy analysts from leading universities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and a former Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection, wrote a public letter to the governors of the three states warning them that economic development strategies based on a massive buildout of the region’s petrochemical […]
Tales of the Shale Crescent Part 1: “But They Have Studies!”
Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on efforts to bring about the petrochemical boom are likely being squandered.