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.
Job Opportunity: Operations Manager
The Ohio River Valley institute (ORVI), an independent nonprofit providing research and solutions for a more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and...
Statement on Federal Funding for the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub
The Ohio River Valley Institute published the following statement in response to the Department of Energy's announcement of up to $925 million in...
A Bigger Bang Approach to Economic Development
Ohio State University analysis shows that investments in high-multiplier industries can help create jobs and boost incomes in struggling communities.
The Meaning of MVP
Tucked amid the Biden administration's cornucopia of climate initiatives was a poison pill: the greenlighting of the Mountain Valley Pipeline...
Spotlight: Nadiatu Issaka, 2023 Summer Research Fellow
Nadiatu Issaka joined ORVI’s team in June 2023 as our inaugural Summer Research Fellow. We sat down with Nadiatu at the end of the summer to...
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.
Getting Unions Connected to Orphaned Well Clean Up: A Second Bite at the Apple
Last month, the Department of Interior (DOI) released its application guidance for Phase 1 state formula grants for orphaned well clean up...
The Unemployment Gap in Appalachia
In late July, we co-released a report that proposed a targeted subsidized employment program aimed at finding jobs for those disconnected...
Appalachia is Likely the Largest Source of Methane Emissions in the US
If it were its own country, Appalachia would be the third-largest producer of natural gas in the world, behind only Russia and the rest of...
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...
Targeted Employment: Reconnecting Appalachia’s Disconnected Workforce
Appalachian coal country has a critical need for more employment. A national subsidized employment program could help reconnect prime-age workers to the workforce.
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...
True Transition
RGGI proceeds could kickstart job growth in Pennsylvania’s fossil fuel communities.
Updated: A Cautionary Tale of Petrochemicals from Pennsylvania
Beaver County, home to Shell Polymers Monaca, still lags Pennsylvania and the nation in key economic indicators, data show.
Hint: To do it really stupidly, you need HYDROGEN!
via GIPHY OK, in fairness to everyone who has ever built a hamster wheel to generate electricity, it probably wasn’t about the electricity....