Research
Stayin’ Alive: The Last Days of Stripper Wells in the Ohio River Valley
Charting a Course for Appalachia’s Economic Transition
For generations, Appalachia has powered the nation’s industrial growth with our region’s bountiful reserves of coal, gas, and oil. Today, our...
Why Worry About the Future of the Plastics Industry? Public Opinion.
The plastics industry is facing a triple threat. Product bans, public opinion, and corporate pledges all conspire to curtail future profits and...
Diversified Energy: A Business Model Built to Fail Appalachia
Diversified Energy, the nation’s largest owner of low-producing oil & gas wells, does not have enough funds to plug its growing inventory. The company could leave states with billions in clean up costs.
Why Worry About the Future of the Plastics Industry? Bans.
Last week, Ohio lieutenant governor John Husted spoke the unvarnished truth about the Ohio Valley’s long planned petrochemicals buildout. Responding...
Maximizing Impact of Federal Orphaned Well Program in States
Earlier this month, we provided an explainer of the $4.7 billion federal orphaned well program that was included in the federal infrastructure...
The Ohio River Valley Hydrogen Hub: A Boondoggle in the Making
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) torpedoed the Build Back Better bill because, he said, it is too costly. But the fleet of hydrogen hub projects he is now...
Listen: A Model for Economic and Clean Energy Transition
(Source: Yale Climate Connections) Senior Researcher Sean O'Leary joins Dr. Anthony Lieserowitz and Yale Climate Connections to...
Federal Orphaned Well Funding, Explained
At the end of January, the Biden administration and the US Department of Interior (DOI) announced the first round of $1.15 billion in funding from a...
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...
Biden’s Plan for American Leadership in Clean Manufacturing Must Prevent Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Misuse
Today the Biden administration released a “Fact Sheet” announcing upcoming efforts to advance a cleaner industrial sector, reduce emissions, and reinvigorate…
Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Hub is a Risky Gamble for the Ohio River Valley
The newly announced initiative to develop a carbon capture and hydrogen hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is a gamble in the guise of opportunity.
How to Clean Up the Most Damage with New Federal Investments in Abandoned Mines
Congress made an historic investment in coal abandoned mine land (AML) cleanup with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). In the coming...
Coal Mine Cleanup in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Explained
In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which made historic investments in the reclamation of land and...
Appalachian States Should Proceed with Caution on CCUS, Hydrogen Hub Initiative
A new initiative to develop a carbon capture and hydrogen hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is unlikely to create many permanent jobs, boost…