Senior Researcher Ted Boettner explains to Mountain State Spotlight how diversifying West Virginia's electric mix could help lower rates and retire coal plants that are too expensive to keep running. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/07/02/power-bills-budget-energy-costs/

Plans to construct a pyrolysis facility in downtown Youngstown are "officially dead." https://www.wfmj.com/news/local-news/youngstown/pyrolysis-plan-for-downtown-youngstown-is-dead/article_6b898d68-bd99-4678-b1d5-1ed1c9b825f6.html

🆕🔌 Data center buildout is accelerating electricity demand growth & rate hikes in the PJM region. Policymakers now face a critical decision: should the region double down on the traditional “base load” model—or build a more flexible, modern grid? https://ow.ly/Wz4V50ZiR3y

Data center spending is running directly into a stress test nobody scheduled. https://fortune.com/2026/06/29/data-centers-climate-risk-heat-summer-stress-test/

The "Frackalachianization" of the US economy? Data centers have become the primary driver of US GDP growth. But much like the Appalachian fracking boom, the sector's huge contributions to economic output haven't translated into jobs or local prosperity: https://ow.ly/ST9E50ZigZB

Social Security cuts would have an outsized impact in Appalachian counties, which have nearly 8.3% more Social Security recipients per capita than the country: https://ow.ly/Ely550ZhBIf

More than 70 million elderly or disabled Americans rely, at least in part, on the Social Security program. The Warren-Moreno proposal to lift the program's payroll tax cap would bring in over $3 trillion, keeping Social Security solvent into the next generation: https://ow.ly/p6ef50ZhAAR

"Do you know the old advice to investors – 'Buy low and sell high'? Well, building a new gas-fired power plant right now is doing exactly the opposite. This is the worst time in history to be paying for construction of a new natural gas-fired power plant." https://ow.ly/fuJP50ZfhtG

Ohio saw a small loss of jobs in May, but more significant are the large numbers of Ohioans leaving the state’s workforce. "The weakening labor force participation rate could have long-term consequences for Ohio’s economic growth," experts say: https://ow.ly/Uu1R50ZgT2C

As capital-intensive data centers proliferate, host communities could see the same relentless declines in jobs, incomes, population, and overall prosperity—despite skyrocketing GDP—that plagued Appalachia during the shale gas boom. https://ow.ly/Xuep50ZfUVm

A 2016 EPA report found that water withdrawals, spills, poor well integrity, groundwater injection, inadequate wastewater treatment, and unlined pits can potentially cause public health hazards for residents local to drilling projects. https://ow.ly/Rfc650ZeoqF

Pennsylvania’s substantial tax breaks for petrochemical development have failed to spur more private investment in major projects and generate sectoral job growth, IEEFA finds: https://ow.ly/JPEu50Zfi2C

Nearly 80% of data center capacity is at elevated risk to severe, climate-induced weather events, including flooding and fire, according to a new study. More than half are in markets exposed to chronic climate stress. http://cnbc.com/2026/06/18/data-center-climate-change-study.html

As the Public Service Commission considers West Virginia’s long-term energy plans, alternatives to costly new gas plants can help ensure a more resilient and reliable grid. https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/the-psc-must-do-whats-right-for-west-virginia/

Despite federal cuts by Congress to a program to help Appalachian states clean up damage from coal mines, some money will be flowing to states including Ohio in the form of federal grants. https://ow.ly/PBTB50ZeniR

West Virginia's reliance on a coal-based power system has come at a price. Sean O'Leary describes how the state's Public Service Commission can act now to curb rising electricity rates: https://ow.ly/EL0F50ZcJv6

May was a huge month for solar power. For the first time ever, the U.S. got more power from solar than coal plants across a whole month. https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/solar-beat-coal-us-grid

In addition to being giant consumers of fracked natural gas, ammonia facilities wouldn't produce much value for West Virginians. These projects would increase health risks in nearby communities: cancer, asthma, heart problems, respiratory diseases & more. https://ow.ly/yl4Q50ZengL

🪏 Nearly $680M in AML reclamation grants this year will help states & tribes clean up old coal mines, supporting reclamation jobs in rural areas. But the funding’s impact has been dampened by budget cuts, according to Senior Researcher Eric Dixon: https://ow.ly/jeOi50ZcIW0

Pennsylvania's energy-intensive manufacturing sector is "both a major source of emissions and one of the best near-term opportunities to deploy cleaner, more efficient technology,” according to a new report from The 2035 Initiative: https://ow.ly/Kgoe50ZcIP5

Without large-scale investment in a transition to low- or zero-emissions “green” steelmaking, the opportunity for a steelmaking renaissance in the Mon Valley and nationwide may be slipping away, ORVI research warns. https://ow.ly/B5u050ZcIAj

In total, state lawmakers and other officials have thwarted more than 5.3 gigawatts of solar and wind projects in Ohio over the last dozen years. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/06/16/ohio-has-blocked-a-lot-of-wind-and-solar-its-residents-pay-the-price/

💬 “Spending $700 million to bail out the coal industry is like throwing a lifeline to a ship that has already sunk." https://apnews.com/article/trump-coal-mining-power-plant-climate-electricity-0a7126d66de97b10f32eaa39b1af669f

When orphaned oil and gas wells sit unplugged, hissing and smelling, they cause a whole host of problems: methane leaks, water pollution, property damage. But plugging them is difficult—and it can cost up to $125,000 in West Virginia. https://ow.ly/I4BB50Z9sxC

“We have much better options...clean energy, wind and solar, and battery storage, and even in some cases geothermal, is cheaper and faster to deploy. So there’s really no reason for the federal government to subsidize this obsolete industry at taxpayer expense.” https://ow.ly/uNNo50Z9S3w

Contracts signed during the Kasich administration ensure Ohio data centers will continue receiving tax breaks for decades. The state gave up more than $1.5 billion in tax revenue last year: https://ow.ly/8nZX50Z9SfZ

In 2023, the top 10% of Ohio residents earned 33.7% of all income, while the bottom 90% earned 66.4% of all income. In other words, the top 10% of earners earn nearly twice as much income as the bottom 50%. More: https://ow.ly/H1Lu50Z9raZ

💬 "Nippon's acquisition of U.S. Steel has revealed new dynamics in local politics, organized labor and American culture without yet resulting in new Pittsburgh-area investments or improved fortunes for the Mon Valley." https://ow.ly/VEOm50Z9S1s

Residents’ passionate opposition to data centers in Daviess County, Kentucky led the local government to enact in late May a moratorium preventing data center construction for the next 12 months. https://ow.ly/wT4N50Z9sXH

This year, states and tribes will receive a total of $679M in abandoned coal mine reclamation funds after Congressional budget cuts earlier this year. It means more families will have to wait for help with orange streams or crumbling home foundations: https://ow.ly/bloJ50Z9sgI

💬 “The statute calls an abandoned well when it hasn’t produced [gas] in 12 months. But sometimes they’re not really abandoned. They still have a responsible operator. If the responsible operator disappears, then you’ve got an orphaned well.” https://ow.ly/GAbk50Z9S89

Nearly 20 years ago, West Virginia set out to revitalize its economy by "unleashing capitalism"—cutting corporate taxes, slashing social services, and hamstringing unions. Since then, the state hasn't gained a single net new job, Ted Boettner finds: https://ow.ly/FuFg50Z9pV5

Freepoint Ecosystems has shut down operations at its controversial pyrolysis plant in Hebron, Ohio, amidst community pushback and a regulatory investigation into a series of emissions violations. https://ow.ly/7hme50Z91kN

Since 2025, Ohio has carved out $2.17B in incentive packages for data centers, though research shows data center projects are highly capital-intensive, non-labor intensive enterprises that create few jobs and inject little money into host communities. https://ow.ly/xTqC50Z91hx

By law, operators are required to plug old wells, but enforcement was lax for decades. Today, the state has one inspector for every 6,700 wells. https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/06/02/the-multibilliondollar-problem-with-old-leaky-oil-wells

Pipelines are “back in focus” as energy demand accelerates. Projects like the 125-mile Constitution Pipeline, canceled in 2020 due to community opposition, could be revived as data center development continues to drive surging power demand forecasts. https://ow.ly/Oj3i50Z7Skc

Allegheny County's ACT NOW clean tech initiative lays the foundation for long-term competitiveness in clean technology and advanced manufacturing. Read our full statement here: https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/statement-on-act-now-clean-tech-initiative/

Runoff from a data center construction site runoff flooded a Mason County neighborhood over the weekend. “I’ve never seen anything like it till that data center started,” resident Helen Humphrey said. https://ow.ly/9LC250Z6KH5

The cost of plugging old, leak-prone oil and gas wells has risen 22% annually in Texas. As plugging costs continue to soar in Texas & Appalachia, the question of who will pay to decommission these wells is becoming increasingly urgent: https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/filling-the-hole/

"Hearing backlash from residents, cities and counties across the country in recent weeks have blocked planned data centers amid concerns over rising electricity prices and environmental harms." https://ow.ly/SALJ50Z6HXC

Kentucky is among 22 states that will split nearly $680 million in annual federal grants to help reclaim abandoned mine lands: https://ow.ly/BkSX50Z6amu

💬 “Communities must be empowered to reject top-down development that gives them little or no voice in the future.” https://ow.ly/444c50Z2L9t

Affordability was a key issue for Pennsylvanians who voted in last week’s primary election. Nearly one in four (24%) Pennsylvanians can't pay their power bills at least once a year. https://ow.ly/Czma50Z2M7Q

As outrage spreads over energy-hungry data centers, politicians have found rare bipartisan agreement that tech companies—and not regular people—should foot the bill for the exorbitant amount of electricity required for artificial intelligence. https://ow.ly/oraz50Z2L0F

West Virginia suffered 40 workplace fatalities in 2024. “It’s a capacity issue,” Josh Sword, West Virginia AFL-CIO President, said. “There are fewer inspectors than there have ever been throughout the agency, and that makes workplaces less safe.” More: https://ow.ly/2Bgl50Z2Mne

In Homer City, Pennsylvania, a site once defined by coal is being redeveloped around gas-fired power for data center development. FracTracker Alliance is documenting the scale of the transition: https://ow.ly/i7HE50Z2Jja Video: Kyle Ferrar, FracTracker Alliance, April 2026.

In West Virginia, just six OSHA inspectors oversee the state’s 60,000 workplaces & 695,000 workers. Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refiners Inc. in Institute, where a chemical release last month killed two workers, had not been inspected since 2018. https://ow.ly/qBJQ50Z2M1Y

This is big: Wind and solar generated more power than gas in April — the first time that’s happened on a global scale.

If projections come to bear, Appalachian gas production would increasingly meet US gas demand in coming decades. But the near-term outlook is murkier, as potentially two-thirds of announced data center capacity—the largest driver of demand growth—is “speculative.” https://ow.ly/MnRo50Z1Aq4

Ohioans are increasingly concerned about the growing number of data centers and their impact on electric bills, water supplies, and more. Citizen groups have organized in Mount Orab and across the state, in some cases winning temporary bans on new data center construction: https://ow.ly/mj3k50Z1A69