The False Promises and Real Harms of “Chemical Recycling”: Freepoint Hebron
The world is drowning in plastic waste, and the need for action is clear. While the petrochemical industry touts practices like pyrolysis (or “chemical recycling”) as a solution, in reality, the process creates more toxic waste and harmful emissions. Such a facility in Hebron, OH claimed to process plastic waste. But after less than one […]
Despite billions in planned spending, no major investments announced at Clairton coke operations one year after explosion
A year since the deadly Clairton Coke Works explosion, Nippon has announced no major upgrades—nor investments in clean steelmaking in Pennsylvania.
The Warren-Moreno proposal prevents Social Security cuts that could cost elderly Appalachians over $4,000 per year.
Alarm bells are ringing in Washington, D.C., with the Trump Administration warning that Social Security is projected to become insolvent in 2032. This would trigger an automatic 22% cut to benefits for over 70 million elderly or disabled Americans who rely, at least in part, on the program. Debate is swirling this week, as two […]
U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works: A History of Unsafe Conditions for Workers and Residents
Located along the Monongahela River, Clairton, Pennsylvania is a small city in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area with a population of around 6,000 people. Like much of the region, it has a rich history of industrial development, especially steelmaking, that began nearly at its conception. Opening in 1916, Clairton Coke Works is the largest coke production […]
2025 in Review
This year, ORVI and our partners have worked to adapt and respond to an increasingly chaotic, uncertain environment. We’ve quantified stemmed funding flows for federal projects like old oil and gas well decommissioning, traced critical junctures in the storied history—and possibility—of Mon Valley steelmaking, and tracked the surge of new fossil fuel industry offshoots: gas-fired […]
The House Reconciliation Package, Climate Funding, and Tax Credit Impacts
News Articles on House Bill & Climate/Economic Development Funding House GOP budget ‘worse than feared’ for clean energy: analysts – By Brian Martucci – Utility Dive – May 22, 2025 – The bill’s “unworkable” provisions raise barriers for projects to qualify for clean energy credits before an accelerated 2028 expiration, an industry association said. House […]
Ohio House Budget Proposal Would Cost Appalachian Public Schools $565.8 Million Over the Next 2 Years
The Ohio House of Representatives recently released its proposal for the next two years of school funding. Despite claims that the new plan gives schools more money than they received in 2025, the new proposal actually reduces funds for almost all of Ohio’s public schools compared to what they would have received if the state […]
27 Appalachian Groups Call on Feds to Assess Full Impact of Appalachian Hydrogen Hub
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Ohio River Valley Institute, Buckeye Environmental Network, and 25 other community and environmental groups are calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) to fully assess the impacts of the Appalachian hydrogen hub, also known as ARCH2. The groups are also asking the agency to take meaningful action to mitigate these harms by […]
2024 in Review
The close of 2024 marks another year of progress and growth for the Ohio River Valley Institute, completing our organization’s fourth calendar year of operation. This year, we added critical new capacity to our staff and expanded our breadth of our research and communications programs with the additions of Operations Manager Stacey Padilla, Senior Communications […]
Hydrogen Hub’s First In-Person Event Met With Community Opposition