The peril, politics, and price of fracking waste
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris recently announced that, if elected, she would not ban fracking, re-igniting a debate that has roiled national politics again and again. Her new position seems to be based on the mistaken belief that fracking enjoys public support, when, in fact, an array of public opinion research shows that a clear majority […]
As the Dept. of Justice nears a settlement with Norfolk Southern, full compensation for impacted East Palestine residents is “nearly impossible.”
Nearly a year and a half since a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous petrochemical materials derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, sparking one of the worst environmental disasters in US history, community members are calling on the Department of Justice to hold a public hearing for the agency’s proposed settlement with Norfolk Southern. According to the […]
2023 in Review
Together, a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia is possible. That’s the vision that has geared our data-driven research, guided our outreach and campaigns, and grounded our work in the region’s community and culture ever since the Ohio River Valley Institute’s very beginning. It’s now been more than three years since we laid out our […]
Spotlight: Nadiatu Issaka, 2023 Summer Research Fellow
Nadiatu Issaka joined ORVI’s team in June 2023 as our inaugural Summer Research Fellow. We sat down with Nadiatu at the end of the summer to learn more about her research, her interests in weightlifting and coding, and her motivation for building a better future in Appalachia, in Ghana, and beyond. Where are you […]
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 […]
An Overview of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment and Hazardous Chemical Spill in East Palestine, Ohio
Information contained within this post is current as of its publication on February 23, 2023. Due to the fluid nature of the situation and the continuing release of new information, future updates will be regularly added and specified at the end of the post. What happened in East Palestine, Ohio? On February 3, 2023, […]
The East Palestine train derailment is petrochemical harm at its worst. For the industry, it’s a cost of doing business.
On Friday, February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous petrochemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, sparking what may be one of the worst environmental disasters in US history. Thousands of fish have turned up dead in nearby waterways; a plume of toxins is flowing down the Ohio River, and officials are still releasing lists […]
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 Lung […]
2022 in Review
The close of 2022 marks the second year of the Ohio River Valley Institute’s research on clean energy, shared prosperity, and equitable civic structures in the greater Ohio River Valley and Appalachia. Two years ago, our organization launched as an independent, nonprofit think tank designed to equip residents and decision-makers with the policy research and […]
Black Appalachian History and Future: An Interview with Emily Jones Hudson
In 2021, Emily Jones Hudson founded the Southeast Kentucky African American Museum and Cultural Center, which seeks to share the stories of African Americans in east Kentucky left untold in popular understandings of Kentucky history. In an interview with ORVI, which has been edited for clarity and length, Hudson discusses how the Great Migration, coal’s […]