Natural Gas
Since the beginning of the fracking boom, economic data show that natural gas development has failed to generate prosperity—or even stave off economic decline—in the region’s largest gas-producing counties.
Robust, lasting job and population growth will require transitioning away from gas-based models of economic development.
Photo: Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2022.
“Between 2008 and 2019, the economic output of the region’s largest gas-producing counties grew at triple the national average. Yet, the region’s share of jobs, population, and income all declined.”
Reports:
All resources:
The Appalachianization of America’s Economy
AI-driven economic growth is exposing investment and GDP growth as misleading measures of prosperity and as misguided goals for local economic development strategies.
The Borealis pipeline will bring more Appalachian gas to the Midwest and Gulf Coast
New gas pipeline projects could open the valve of Appalachia gas even wider, fueling the buildout of power plants and data centers.
Why Data Centers Will Be Economic Development Duds
Data centers are highly capital intensive, non-labor intensive enterprises that create few jobs & inject little money into host communities.
Falling Further Behind
The lagging US steel industry risks falling further behind—absent large-scale investment in low- or zero-emissions “green” steelmaking.
Expanding data center demand near Appalachia could slow down regional decarbonization efforts
Further decarbonizing the PJM grid is functionally impossible unless Appalachia replaces gas-fired generation with zero-carbon electricity.
New, overlapping pipeline proposals are redundant–and unnecessary
Two competing pipeline proposals would increase Appalachian natural gas flows to southern Virginia and North Carolina.
Frackalachia Update 2025
New gas development for data centers and LNG is “destined to disappoint” as Appalachia’s fracking counties continue their economic spiral.
Report: New Gas Development for LNG, Data Centers “Destined to Disappoint”
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. —— The race to expand Appalachian natural gas production in anticipation of new power demand for AI data centers and increased export capacity of liquified natural gas (LNG) is unlikely to generate long-term job growth or local prosperity, according to...
Data centers are driving pipeline expansions and production growth in Appalachia
Appalachian gas production has been hamstrung by a slowdown in pipeline construction; data center demand could change that. A planned buildout of new, AI-specialized data centers could unlock enough energy demand across the eastern half of the US to drive up...