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 […]
Another Gas Pipeline Expansion Could Drive More Fracking in Appalachia’s Gas Reserves
A new plan to expand a New England gas pipeline would drive more fracking in Appalachia’s colossal gas reserves. “Project Maple” is a proposal by the Canadian energy company Enbridge to expand its Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline by 25%, or 750 million cubic feet (MMcf) per day. Originally constructed in 1954 and with a current […]
LNG Exports Are a Rotten Deal for Appalachians
In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan decried President Biden’s recent decision to pause liquified natural gas (LNG) export authorizations. Ryan, tugging on heartstrings, claimed that LNG exports and other new avenues for natural gas buildout are a “crucial bridge to a clean-energy future.” To hear well-paid gas industry […]
Frackalachia Update: Peak Natural Gas and the Economic Implications for Appalachia
Appalachia’s largest gas-producing counties have continued their economic spiral, data show, as regional gas output begins to plateau.
Oil & Gas: Central to Pennsylvania politics but not its economy
I’ve gotten better at resisting the urge to respond to every inaccurate claim, every attempt to mislead, and every rhetorical flourish that issues forth from the region’s oil and gas industry executives who, when they’re not claiming that natural gas is “clean energy”, are telling us that it doesn’t matter whether it’s clean or not, […]
Ohioans are on the fence about fracking. Why is the state pushing for more drilling on public lands?
Ohio’s state parks, forests, and wildlife areas are being queued for fracking development thanks to an opaque new law infamously dubbed the “poultry bill.” House Bill 507 started as an agricultural bill before it was amended behind closed doors—under the influence of the oil and gas industry—to require oil and gas leasing on state-owned land. […]
Inflation & Natural Gas: A Disease and its Carrier
Natural gas enters your home through your furnace, your appliances, and even through the electricity you use, much of which comes from gas-fired power plants. And that’s a problem because, not only is gas bad for your physical health (more on that later), it’s bad for your family’s financial health by making you more susceptible […]
Misplaced Faith: How Policymakers’ Belief in Natural Gas is Driving Rural Pennsylvania Into an Economic Dead End
Policymakers’ pursuit of natural gas development is failing rural Pennsylvania, economic data show.
Pennsylvanians Strongly Support a Crackdown on Fracking. Will Allegheny County Deliver?
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 ban on fracking and other industrial activities in county parks. The override vote, which notably passed by an even greater margin than the council’s initial 11-4 vote in […]
Despite “Winning” GDP Gains, Ohio’s Fracking Counties Lost Big in 2020
A recent story in the Columbus Dispatch reported that “two small eastern Ohio counties in the heart of Ohio’s natural gas country posted the biggest economic gains among the state’s counties in 2020” and that “other counties in Appalachia also were among the 2020 winners.” But that’s only true if you measure “winning” by arcane […]