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.
Congress is trying to loot America’s fund to clean up dangerous mines
In a “minibus” bill released by the House Appropriations Committee this week, legislators are attempting to loot $500 million from the bipartisan...
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...
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...
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.
What does a DRI plant in Arkansas mean for steelmaking in the Mon Valley?
US Steel’s investment plan raises questions about the future of steelmaking and the union workforce that powers it in Pennsylvania.
Desperately Seeking an Exit
Market headwinds are intensifying. Even after selling off millions in PA tax credits, Shell is unlikely to recoup its $14B petrochemical investment.
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.
Clean Power Digest: the PA Supreme Court’s retention race, data centers, retail electricity prices, and more
Attached please find a PA Digest for October 30, 2025 and a copy of a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study on energy prices (and data...
Clean Power Digest: RISE PA progress, clean energy funding cuts, soaring utility bills, and more
Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) Update RISE PA is a $396 million statewide industrial decarbonization grant program...
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.
What’s happening with MERP in Ohio River Valley states?
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP) is facing serious setbacks. Here’s how states are implementing the MERP funding they’ve received so far.
An Economic Impact Analysis of a Planned Plastics Pyrolysis Facility in Follansbee, West Virginia
A pyrolysis project in Follansbee, WV is unlikely to create many jobs or generate much tax revenue for local and state budgets, modeling suggests.