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.
The Centralia Model for Economic Transition in Distressed Communities
Centralia, Washington, a former coal town with a now-booming economy, could provide a model for clean energy and economic transition in distressed communities in Appalachia and beyond.
Destined to Fail: Why the Appalachian Natural Gas Boom Failed to Deliver Jobs & Prosperity and What It Teaches Us
An assessment of the systemic causes behind the natural gas industry’s failure to deliver economic prosperity to the 22 largest fracking counties across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Manchin Infrastructure Bill Needs More Focus on Labor, AML Funding Distribution
On Friday, US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released a new version of his proposed energy infrastructure package. The previous version of his proposal...
New Report Demonstrates How RGGI Could Fund Opportunities for Pennsylvania Coal Plant Communities
The Ohio River Valley Institute’s newest report examines how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) could support economic development and...
ORVI Insider #19: RGGI Revenue Could Help Ease the Energy Transition in PA
The latest news, research, and analysis from the Ohio River Valley Institute. June 30, 2021 ...
Options and Opportunities for Coal Plant Communities: Pennsylvania and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
Revenue from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) could aid coal communities facing plant closures and energy market changes. ORVI Research Fellow Joseph Cullen outlines a path forward.
Joe Manchin Cites ORVI Report in Senate Hearing on Abandoned Mine Land Damage
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pointed to a recent Ohio River Valley Institute report in a Senate committee last week on the huge economic opportunities...
FIDdlesticks: Why PTTGC can’t make up its mind
Don’t look now, but it’s late-June – season of the summer solstice and the now annual announcement by PTTGC that, despite previous assurances, it...
Fact-Checking Fitzgerald on Fracking
In response to Pittsburgh protests over fracking and petrochemical development in the region, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald uttered a...
ORVI Insider #18: What’s the Future of the Ohio River?
ORVI Insider Vol. 18 June 15, 2021 What will our Ohio River look like in 10 years? To see the future of...
The Future of the Ohio River Is in Sri Lanka
To see the future of the Ohio River you can look to a place that is almost its antipode: the tropical coastal waters of Sri Lanka. It’s there, some...
REGROW Act Could Provide $1.7 Billion to Clean Up Hazardous Wells in Appalachia
In early April, we released a report outlining the benefits of plugging and cleaning up orphan and abandoned oil and gas wells in Appalachia. Since...
Appalachia Could Address Poverty and Build Worker Power by Reforesting Mine-scarred Land
This post is the second in a four-part series based on a recent ORVI report on abandoned mine land (AML) issues. Figures cited below can be found in...
ORVI Insider #17: Could a Former Coal Town in Washington Provide a Model for Appalachia’s Energy Transition?
ORVI Insider Vol. 17 May 25, 2021 Could a former coal town in Washington State provide a model for...
Jobs and equitable transition: Bridging the chasm between rhetoric and action
There was a time when the sight of rows of office workers hammering away at their Friden adding machines would have sent me into paroxysms of...