Research
The Ohio River Valley Institute examines some of the region’s most pressing challenges. We provide policy analysis and practical tools for building a stronger Appalachia. All of our research is available for you to cite, use, and share, per our free use policy.
New Policy Would Ensure Industry Pays For Well Decommissioning, Not Taxpayers
What is there to be done about the “culture of non-compliance” that has resulted in a potentially $100 billion bill to clean up as many as 1 million...
Statement on H.R.1’s Hydrogen Tax Credit Provision
Earlier today, Congress finalized a budget that includes a provision restricting access to the 45V hydrogen production tax credit solely to...
Tracking U.S. Senate Vote on HR 1 — BIL/IRA Implementation Digest
Tracking U.S. Senate vote on HR 1 Despite last-minute changes, US Senate bill deals big blow to renewable energy — By Valerie Volcovici - July 1,...
Well Decommissioning Presents Huge Job Opportunity For Appalachia
ORVI’s latest report, “Filling the Hole,” laid out a five-part policy to ensure that the oil and gas industry foots the bill for the tens of...
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...
Delay the Vote, Dismiss the Workers, and Distract the Public: Does BlueOval SK Have an Anti-Union Playbook?
This report was updated on July 1 with details about the recent decision from the National Labor Relations Board. Summary A supermajority of...
Adams Fork Energy: What’s Happening With the World’s Largest Proposed Ammonia Plant
New York-based company TransGas Development Systems, LLC wants to build and operate a fossil fuel-based ammonia facility in Mingo County, WV. If...
Adams Fork Energy’s Blue Ammonia Project, Explained
As discussed in our companion article, New York-based TransGas Development Systems, LLC announced plans in 2023 to build the Adams Fork Energy...
Testimony: Pennsylvania’s Lax Enforcement Could Escalate Orphan Well Crisis
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. —— Policy and regulatory failures have allowed Pennsylvania oil and gas well owners to delay and avoid plugging responsibilities as...
Taking Inventory
Lax well plugging enforcement in Pennsylvania could escalate the state’s orphan well crisis.
Timeline: BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky
This page chronicles main events in the development of the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky, including the unionization effort at the facility....
Unfunded Cost To Decommission The More Than 1 Million Wells In Appalachia Reaches Into The Tens Of Billions Of Dollars
The bill for the 150-year legacy of oil drilling in Appalachia is coming due. Yet, drilling still continues, adding to the region’s backlog of...
Big Promises, Big Questions: What the U.S. Steel-Nippon Deal Could Mean for the Mon Valley
It has been one week since President Donald Trump announced a “planned partnership” between United States Steel and Nippon Steel. The late-Friday...
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...
Governor Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan”: What HB500 Means for Hydrogen
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposal for a hydrogen tax credit addresses some of the worst aspects of the existing tax credit but the tax...