Ohio River Valley Institute
@ohiorivvalleyinst.bsky.social
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Sound research for a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia.
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đ Hello! We're the Ohio River Valley Institute, a research organization helping Appalachian communities chart a course toward shared prosperity, clean energy, and more equitable civic structures. We're very excited to join you on Bluesky. Learn more about our work at
ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org
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Ohio River Valley Institute
The Ohio River Valley Institute is a think tank focused on lasting job growth, clean energy, and more inclusive civic structures for northern Appalachia.
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/
6 months ago
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đ: In West Virginia, some residents pay more for their monthly electric bill than their mortgage payment. There are several reasons why West Virginiaâs rates have soared recently. The short answer is coal. The longer answer is more complicated:
https://ow.ly/vx0f50YBVfb
about 1 hour ago
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Cleveland-Cliffs looks ready to lock its Middletown Works steel mill into using fossil fuels for the next two decades or more. It's a step backwards for US steelmakersâand one that could leave Cliffs further behind a rapidly decarbonizing global market.
https://ow.ly/YjhN50YzSa7
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Whatâs next for Ohioâs former green steel project? More coal.
Cleveland-Cliffs won a federal grant to install hydrogen-ready tech. Now, it wants to revamp its Middletown blast furnace, raising questions about its useâŚ
https://ow.ly/YjhN50YzSa7
about 22 hours ago
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đ Coke, a coal-derived fuel used in steelmaking, is on the decline. Our research describes why it's more critical than ever for US steelmakers to transition from outdated coke-based methods to cleaner, more efficient steelmaking technologies.
https://ow.ly/srHB50Yzjfv
2 days ago
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Three years after a Norfolk-Southern train derailed in East Palestine, OH, sparking one of the worst environmental disasters in US history, a new bill aims to establish extra safety checks & updated rules for the transportation of hazardous materials.
https://ow.ly/zCGt50YzS32
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Rail safety bill gets big push 3 years after East Palestine
The bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2026 would establish additional safety checks and require two crewmembers to operate a train, among other rules.
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03/east-palestine-derailment-freight-accident-federal-government/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Why%20SpaceX%20s%20share%20of%20PA%20internet%20funds%20is%20growing&utm_campaign=PA%20Post%2003%2025%2026%20%28Copy%29
2 days ago
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West Virginia ratepayers will shoulder $572M in costs over the life of the transmission line project, triple 2025 estimates of $185M. The line will provide no direct benefits to West Virginia, as NextEra has no customers in the state.
https://ow.ly/x6aG50YzRJt
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Cost of West Virginia transmission line serving Virginia data centers more than doubles
CHARLESTON, W.Va. â The projected cost of NextEra Energyâs portion of the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link transmission line has more than doubled, according to new analysis from the Institute for Energy
https://ow.ly/x6aG50YzRJt
3 days ago
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Ohioans are souring on data center development. Last week, Senior Researcher Sean O'Leary explained to WFMJ-Youngstown why new data center proposals are unlikely to create many jobs or spur local economic development:
https://ow.ly/XSNr50YAMpX
3 days ago
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The Allegheny County Board of Health formed a committee on fracking last year to investigate health impacts. âWe know that there are toxic compounds released as part of [fracking]...that can be associated biologically with health effects,â experts said.
https://ow.ly/Slvv50Yxh6I
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Allegheny County health board considers fracking impacts
Health experts plan to make recommendations on frackingâs âtoxicâ effect on communities.
https://ow.ly/Slvv50Yxh6I
3 days ago
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Our statement on Pennsylvania
#HouseBill1834
, which would develop statewide regulations for data centers:
6 days ago
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Itâs been eighteen months since Hurricane Helene. How can Appalachia prepare for the next storm? A new report from the Appalachian Citizensâ Law Center details crucial lessons from Helene response:
https://ow.ly/Bkzf50Yy9Ig
6 days ago
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đ ď¸ West Virginiaâs Public Service Commission has all the tools it needs to fix the stateâs soaring electric rates, Sean OâLeary writes in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
https://ow.ly/ag8I50Yx3Va
7 days ago
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Since its inception in 2011, JobsOhio has shifted hundreds of millions of dollars away from public control and into a private pot of money subject to less scrutiny, our research shows.
https://ow.ly/b7Gc50YyLEW
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JobsOhio oversight proposed by bipartisan Ohio lawmakers following podcast scandal ⢠Ohio Capital Journal
A bipartisan pair of Ohio lawmakers have announced legislation establishing new oversight for JobsOhio. The proposal comes in the wake of a podcast scandal that prompted Ted Carter to step down as president of Ohio State University.
https://ow.ly/b7Gc50YyLEW
8 days ago
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West Virginia oil & gas well regulators are severely under-resourced and understaffed. As a result, inspection frequency has fallen far below neighboring states and even historical highs. đ 2023 inspections: 5,929 đ 1985 inspections: 20,000 More:
https://ow.ly/vZqT50Yx3Na
8 days ago
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A pair of Ohio River Valley gas plant projects would be the largest, most expensive energy developments in US history. But as the price of gas power soars and demand remains uncertain, thereâs a chance that taxpayers and utility customers could get stuck with a big bill.
https://ow.ly/vvi950YykZ7
8 days ago
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Beaver Countyâs shift to plastic manufacturing hasn't panned out. Now, some residents are investing in a different kind of economic model,
Marketplace
reports:
https://ow.ly/1KY250YyeYc
9 days ago
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"The Trump administration says one of the worldâs biggest natural gasâfired power plants will come to Ohio. But financial risks, permitting hurdles, and uncertainties about the projectâs access to equipment have critics doubting when â and if â the plant will come online."
https://ow.ly/zCrx50Yy67u
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Trump deal for a $33B gas megaplant in Ohio faces huge hurdles
The governmentâs surprise announcement lacked key details, leading some to doubt if the project can secure equipment, permits, and room on the grid anyâŚ
https://ow.ly/zCrx50Yy67u
9 days ago
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Seeking power for data centers, Meta and other companies plan to use equipment that is expensive and polluting.
https://ow.ly/RBGV50Yxh5y
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Why Tech Giants Are Ditching the Power Grid
Seeking power for data centers, Meta and other companies plan to use equipment that is expensive and polluting.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/18/business/energy-environment/data-center-energy-gas-generators.html?campaign_id=29&emc=edit_up_20260319&instance_id=172756&nl=the-upshot®i_id=253212629&segment_id=216919&user_id=e957ef95b46282bb44976d27b01adf73
9 days ago
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âThereâs not many jobs once those data centers are built. On the data centers and the jobs, just keep that in mind.â Senior Researcher Ted Boettner on Channel 59 News in Beckley, WV:
https://ow.ly/jaL150Yx3Zg
9 days ago
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đ Investor-owned utilities are raking in profits as consumer utility bills skyrocket. Last year, utility companies kept about $0.15 of every dollar they collected as profit. For a customer paying a $200 monthly electric bill, that means about $30 went to corporate profits.
https://ow.ly/wQFg50YwsK6
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Utility profits rise as household bills soar, new analysis finds ⢠Ohio Capital Journal
Investor-owned utility profits have soared as consumer utility bills have skyrocketed in recent years, according to a new analysis of dozens of electricity providers.
https://ow.ly/wQFg50YwsK6
10 days ago
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The giant Adams Fork project keeps getting bigger. New plans to double the project's data center capacity would balloon its total gas consumption to more than 850 bcf per year. Thatâs equivalent to more than 2.5% of US annual gas consumption. More:
https://ow.ly/LAIq50Yx3xx
10 days ago
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Since JobsOhioâthe state's privatized economic development armâwas founded in 2011, it has handed out more than $1B to large projects. Yet Ohioâs job growth continues to trail the national average:
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/copying-and-pasting-jobsohio-is-a-bad-idea-for-west-virginia/
13 days ago
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Trump touted tariffs in Kentucky last week. Our research shows theyâre costing Kentuckians billions.
https://ow.ly/BlMg50Yw1P4
13 days ago
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â ď¸ Ammonia buildout is a ârecipe for risks.â A new
IEEFA
report finds that ammonia production is not a significant job engine as rising construction costs and market uncertainties cast shadows over new development plans.
https://ow.ly/k48o50Yw1KM
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Ammonia build-out: Recipe for risks
Federal, state, and local agencies awarding financial incentives for construction of ammonia plants may not achieve the robust economic benefits promised for the local communities taking on these facilities. The latest report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shows that ammonia production is not a significant job engine; energy markets for ammonia are not likely to be robust; rising construction costs and operational expenses pose financial risks; and ammonia production and transport pose safety issues.
https://ieefa.org/articles/ammonia-build-out-recipe-risks
14 days ago
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đŹ âWhy are our power bills so high?â With electric bills soaring across southern West Virginia, residents of Mercer County held a town hall yesterday to address data centers, coal- and gas-fired power generation, and other forces driving rising rates.
https://ow.ly/yUo750Yw1HR
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âWhy are our power bills so high?â Town hall to tackle rising rates in southern WV
A free town hall in Princeton â âWhy Are Our Power Bills So High?â â will dig into what is driving electric rates in southern WV and what residents can (and cannot) do about it.
https://ow.ly/yUo750Yw1HR
15 days ago
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JobsOhio, the Buckeye Stateâs economic development arm, hasnât delivered a jobs boom. Copying the program isnât likely to help West Virginians, either. More:
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/copying-and-pasting-jobsohio-is-a-bad-idea-for-west-virginia/
15 days ago
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Ramping up fracking operations wonât help Americans struggling to pay their utility bills, according to a new blog post from Senior Researcher Nick Messenger.
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/why-drill-baby-drill-wont-lower-your-utility-bills/
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Why âdrill, baby, drillâ wonât lower your utility bills â Ohio River Valley Institute
Increasing fracking and drilling operations could help energy companies, foreign consumers, tech companies, and shareholdersâbut not struggling Americans.
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/why-drill-baby-drill-wont-lower-your-utility-bills/
17 days ago
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The projected gas consumption of TransGas' ammonia and data center plans at the Adams Fork Energy site keeps ballooning.
https://ow.ly/UoGP50YtLgN
17 days ago
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Contractors for the pipeline company MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources spilled more than a million pounds of drilling fluid into an abandoned coal mine in Washington County, PA:
https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2026-03-06/drilling-fluid-spill-abandoned-mine/
20 days ago
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"Why are our power bills so high?" With electric bills soaring across southern West Virginia, residents are organizing a town hall to address what's driving rising rates.
https://ow.ly/GEfR50YsUvm
20 days ago
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Productivity gains in the oil & gas industry, driven by the introduction of fracking technology in the late aughts, has led to employment declines of nearly 45% in WV. Plugging abandoned wells could create thousands of new jobs, our research shows:
https://ow.ly/nEI650YrYne
20 days ago
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In 1985, regulators at the West Virginia DEP's Office of Oil and Gas (OOG) logged 20,000 oil & gas well inspections. In 2023, regulators completed just 6,000 inspections. Today, OOG employs one inspector for every 8,700 wells in the state:
https://ow.ly/H2kI50YrY7k
21 days ago
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reposted by
Ohio River Valley Institute
Ohio Capital Journal
21 days ago
In Ohio cities and townships, proposed data centers are roiling otherwise sleepy public hearings and raising difficult questions about electricity, water, and noise. State lawmakers have noticed, and are starting to make proposals.
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/03/12/o...
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Ohioans are getting fed up with data centers, state lawmakers are starting to notice ⢠Ohio Capital Journal
In Ohio cities and townships, proposed data centers are roiling otherwise sleepy public hearings and raising difficult questions about electricity, water, and noise. State lawmakers have noticed, andâŚ
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/03/12/ohioans-are-getting-fed-up-with-data-centers-state-lawmakers-are-starting-to-notice/
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"A 2025 analysis by the Ohio River Valley Institute found that Trump's tariffs could cost Kentucky businesses $4.1 billion, or the equivalent of 'suddenly raising taxes by $2,307 on every Kentucky household,' The Courier Journal previously reported."
https://ow.ly/OSfA50YsQI5
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Trump visits Kentucky, touts economy while tariffs hit state hard
President Trump visited Kentucky, touting economic success, but his tariffs have negatively impacted local industries like bourbon.
https://ow.ly/OSfA50YsQI5
21 days ago
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Even when best practices are followed, carbon storage can pose serious risks to nearby communities. Stored CO2 can shift and migrate underground in ways scientists are still unable to predict.
https://ow.ly/MnNw50Ys4NS
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Kentucky would regulate carbon-storage wells under plan developed through collaboration ⢠Kentucky Lantern
A legislative committee on Thursday approved creating what would be the stateâs first regulatory framework for those wells, a form of carbon capture.
https://ow.ly/MnNw50Ys4NS
21 days ago
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Data centers are destined to be economic development duds. They're not very labor-intensive, and they could cause Pennsylvanians' electricity bills to spike.
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03/data-centers-josh-shapiro-permitting-water-energy-jobs-regulation-environment/
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Shapiro ties fast-track permits to data center standards
The governor plans to allow faster permitting for PA data centers built with consideration for water, energy, and local jobs.
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03/data-centers-josh-shapiro-permitting-water-energy-jobs-regulation-environment/
22 days ago
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West Virginia has drilled more than 130,000 wells in its 150-year history of oil and gas exploration.
22 days ago
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Increasing fracking and drilling operations could help energy companies, foreign consumers, tech companies, and shareholdersâbut not struggling Americans.
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/why-drill-baby-drill-wont-lower-your-utility-bills/
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Why âdrill, baby, drillâ wonât lower your utility bills â Ohio River Valley Institute
Increasing fracking and drilling operations could help energy companies, foreign consumers, tech companies, and shareholdersâbut not struggling Americans.
https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/why-drill-baby-drill-wont-lower-your-utility-bills/
22 days ago
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đŹ "The clean energy economy isnât some abstract idea or future possibility â itâs here now."
https://reimagineappalachia.org/west-virginias-second-chance-is-being-stolen/
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BLOG: West Virginia's Second Chance Is Being Stolen
West Virginia, which desperately needed this industrial renaissance, is paying the price for Washington's betrayal.
https://reimagineappalachia.org/west-virginias-second-chance-is-being-stolen/
23 days ago
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West Virginia is sitting on a growing economic and environmental problem: tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that state regulators have failed to track, inspect, or require companies to clean up.
https://ow.ly/BqtS50YrRFm
23 days ago
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West Virginiaâs long history of oil & gas extraction has left the state saddled with nearly 50,000 abandoned wells. Cleaning up these old wells could create thousands of jobs and reduce toxic emissions:
https://ow.ly/7x3n50Yqn80
Photo: West Virginia & Regional History Center
27 days ago
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reposted by
Ohio River Valley Institute
Kentucky Lantern
30 days ago
A bill to remake the KY Public Service Commission raises concerns that consumers would lose their voice in rate cases before the utility regulator.
@liamniemeyer.bsky.social
kentuckylantern.com/2026/03/03/p...
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Proposed makeover of utility regulator met with warnings consumers would lose their voice ⢠Kentucky Lantern
FRANKFORT â A GOP-sponsored bill would remake Kentuckyâs utility regulator by expanding its board from three to five members and giving the GOP state auditor two of the appointments. The governor woul...
https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/03/03/proposed-makeover-of-utility-regulator-met-with-warnings-consumers-would-lose-their-voice/
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McDowell County, West Virginia has endured the collapse of the coal industry, the opioid crisis, and now cuts to the federal food stamps program. What comes next for communities that have been left behind?
https://ow.ly/o4vh50Yoe80
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Inside McDowell County, West Virginia, the birthplace of food stamps | 60 Minutes
McDowell County, West Virginia barely survived coal's collapse and the opioid crisis. Now cuts to food stamps and Medicaid threaten to push its poorest residents to the edge.
https://ow.ly/o4vh50Yoe80
28 days ago
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đ Our report release webinar is starting soon! Join us for a conversation on West Virginia's growing abandoned well problemsâand how a large-scale well-plugging effort could create thousands of jobs:
bit.ly/wv-well-problems
28 days ago
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đď¸ Residents of Whitehall, Ohio used research to help defeat a tax abatement proposal for a slate of luxury townhomes. Tax abatements in surrounding Franklin County have expanded rapidly in the last two decades:
https://ow.ly/GGzL50Yo8Z3
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Whitehall's Fairway Blvd. eyed for rentals after voters nix townhomes
Whitehall residents opposed the Fairway Cliffs townhomes because of the housing density and tax incentives that were approved by city council.
https://ow.ly/GGzL50Yo8Z3
29 days ago
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How is it that the US can be producing more energy than ever before, yet our utility bills continue to rise? And can Trump deliver on his lofty campaign promises by sticking with current policies? Check out our latest research on Substack:
https://ow.ly/6fB850YoK1H
30 days ago
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Kentucky utility companies made more than 268,000 disconnections in FY 2025âan 87% increase from the year prior.
https://ow.ly/4Fv050Yo8W3
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Surge in KY utility disconnections raises alarms as federal funding falls short of need ⢠Kentucky Lantern
Kentucky electric utilities made more than 268,000 utility disconnections over a 12-month period across 2024 and 2025, according to a recent report.
https://ow.ly/4Fv050Yo8W3
30 days ago
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đ West Virginiaâs abandoned oil & gas wells are piling upâand the state's system isn't stopping it. Our new report shows how weak enforcement led to a 50,000-well problem. Fixing it could create thousands of jobs. Join us this Thursday at 10 AM ET:
bit.ly/wv-well-problems
about 1 month ago
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Trumpâs âdrill, baby, drillâ agenda has failed to reverse the nation's decline in oil and gas jobs.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/feb/24/trump-state-of-the-union-address-congress-watch-updates?page=with%3Ablock-699e67c88f089504d803c361&filterKeyEvents=false#liveblog-navigation
about 1 month ago
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After Augustâs deadly explosion, Clairton Coke Worksâand its history of violations and unsafe conditionsâ is in Nipponâs hands:
https://www.publicsource.org/us-steel-clairton-coke-works-safety-environmental-accountability/
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After deadly explosion, safety and environmental lapses at U.S. Steelâs flagship coke works now rest with Nippon
U.S. Steelâs Clairton Coke Works is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Nipponâs plans to address safety and environmental concerns arenât yet public.
https://www.publicsource.org/us-steel-clairton-coke-works-safety-environmental-accountability/
about 1 month ago
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Trump touted American oil and gas production during last night's State of the Union address. But oil and gas jobs are on the decline,
The Guardian
reports:
https://ow.ly/WwtZ50Yma2s
#Trump
#StateoftheUnion
#fossilfuels
about 1 month ago
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State lawmakers crafted the largest tax incentive package in PA history to lure Shellâs multibillion-dollar ethane cracker, counting on a region-wide petrochemicals boom complete with explosive job and business growth. Those promises never materialized:
https://ow.ly/TgYx50Ym9MT
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Pennsylvania Spent Big on a 'Petrochemical Renaissance.' It Never Arrived.
Visions of a booming hub that would bring jobs and prosperity to Appalachia faded, but the plastic ânurdlesâ remain.
https://ow.ly/TgYx50Ym9MT
about 1 month ago
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