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.
American Jobs Plan Can Accelerate Solar Power in West Virginia
As a recent article in Forbes noted, the ‘dam has broken’ in West Virginia for solar power. While solar energy comprises less than 0.2 percent of...
“What’s the alternative?”: Answering the hardest question asked by workers and communities that feel threatened by energy transition
At ORVI, we’ve documented the inability of the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries to serve as engines for job growth and prosperity in...
ORVI Insider #16: Cutting WV’s Coal Subsidies Could Open Up $56 Million in Revenue
ORVI Insider Vol. 16 May 11, 2021 Headlining our sixteenth newsletter is new research from Senior Researcher Ted...
Eliminate West Virginia Met Coal Subsidy to Assist Dislocated Coal Workers
Several weeks ago, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) released their plan for “Preserving Coal Country” amid national policy efforts to...
ORVI Insider #15: “Repairing the Damage” Sparks National Conversations on AML and Orphan Well Remediation
ORVI Insider Vol. 15 April 27, 2021 In this edition of our newsletter, we highlight coverage of...
ORVI Insider #14: Repairing the Damage from Appalachia’s Orphan Wells and Abandoned Mine Lands
ORVI Insider Vol. 14 April 14, 2021 For more than 150 years, Appalachia has provided the cheap energy that...
Repairing the Damage from Hazardous Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells
An analysis of the potential benefits of a large-scale federal program to plug abandoned oil and gas wells in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Repairing the Damage from Orphan Wells and Abandoned Mine Lands
For more than 150 years, Appalachia has provided the cheap energy that has powered the nation's industrial growth and helped construct the middle...
Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up the Land, Air, and Water Damaged by the Coal Industry Before 1977
Cleaning up Appalachia’s thousands of acres of abandoned mine lands could create jobs, reduce climate-warming emissions, improve quality of life, and minimize environmental damage.
An Energy State No More: As coal vanishes from the grid, so might West Virginia’s status as an energy state
In 10 years, unless West Virginia leapfrogs from its coal-dominated energy system to one driven by clean renewable resources, it will cease to be an...
Polling Shows A Republican Split in Pennsylvania
One quarter of the way through 2021 and Pennsylvania voters are grumpy. According to the March edition of Franklin & Marshall College Poll,...
ORVI Insider #13: Risks for New Natural Gas Development in Appalachia
ORVI Insider Vol. 13 March 23, 2021 In this edition of our newsletter, we introduce groundbreaking new...
NEW REPORT: Future Appalachian Shale Gas Drilling Unprofitable and Petrochemical Buildout Unlikely
JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, March 23, 2021 – New gas field developments in Appalachia are unlikely to be profitable as the US energy system undergoes...
The true cost of cleaning up historic damage from the coal industry
This afternoon, Congress will hold a hearing on a slew of bills that seek to clean up land and water damaged by the coal industry before it was...
A federal solution is needed to address hazardous abandoned wells
On Thursday the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in the US House will be holding a hearing on the federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML)...