🆕: In West Virginia, some residents pay more for their monthly electric bill than their mortgage payment. There are several reasons why West Virginia’s rates have soared recently. The short answer is coal. The longer answer is more complicated: https://ow.ly/vx0f50YBVfb

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 steelmakers—and one that could leave Cliffs further behind a rapidly decarbonizing global market. https://ow.ly/YjhN50YzSa7

📉 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 Our research describes why it's more critical than ever for US steelmakers to transition from outdated coke-based methods to cleaner, more efficient steelmaking technologies.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

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

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

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

The Allegheny County Board of Health formed a committee on fracking last year to investigate health impacts. “We know that there are toxic compounds released as part of [fracking]...that can be associated biologically with health effects,” experts said. https://ow.ly/Slvv50Yxh6I

Our statement on Pennsylvania #HouseBill1834, which would develop statewide regulations for data centers:

It’s been eighteen months since Hurricane Helene. How can Appalachia prepare for the next storm? A new report from the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center details crucial lessons from Helene response: https://ow.ly/Bkzf50Yy9Ig

🛠️ West Virginia’s Public Service Commission has all the tools it needs to fix the state’s soaring electric rates, Sean O’Leary writes in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. https://ow.ly/ag8I50Yx3Va

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

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. 🔍 2023 inspections: 5,929 🔍 1985 inspections: 20,000 More: https://ow.ly/vZqT50Yx3Na

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, there’s a chance that taxpayers and utility customers could get stuck with a big bill. https://ow.ly/vvi950YykZ7

Beaver County’s 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

"The Trump administration says one of the world’s biggest natural gas–fired power plants will come to Ohio. But financial risks, permitting hurdles, and uncertainties about the project’s access to equipment have critics doubting when — and if — the plant will come online." https://ow.ly/zCrx50Yy67u

Seeking power for data centers, Meta and other companies plan to use equipment that is expensive and polluting. https://ow.ly/RBGV50Yxh5y

“There’s not many jobs once those data centers are built. On the data centers and the jobs, just keep that in mind.” Senior Researcher Ted Boettner on Channel 59 News in Beckley, WV: https://ow.ly/jaL150Yx3Zg

📈 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

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. That’s equivalent to more than 2.5% of US annual gas consumption. More: https://ow.ly/LAIq50Yx3xx

Since JobsOhio—the state's privatized economic development arm—was founded in 2011, it has handed out more than $1B to large projects. Yet Ohio’s job growth continues to trail the national average: https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/copying-and-pasting-jobsohio-is-a-bad-idea-for-west-virginia/

Trump touted tariffs in Kentucky last week. Our research shows they’re costing Kentuckians billions. https://ow.ly/BlMg50Yw1P4

⚠️ Ammonia buildout is a “recipe for risks.” 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

💬 “Why are our power bills so high?” 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

JobsOhio, the Buckeye State’s economic development arm, hasn’t delivered a jobs boom. Copying the program isn’t likely to help West Virginians, either. More: https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/copying-and-pasting-jobsohio-is-a-bad-idea-for-west-virginia/

Ramping up fracking operations won’t 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/

The projected gas consumption of TransGas' ammonia and data center plans at the Adams Fork Energy site keeps ballooning. https://ow.ly/UoGP50YtLgN

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/

"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

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

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

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...

"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

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

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/

West Virginia has drilled more than 130,000 wells in its 150-year history of oil and gas exploration.

Increasing fracking and drilling operations could help energy companies, foreign consumers, tech companies, and shareholders—but not struggling Americans. https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/why-drill-baby-drill-wont-lower-your-utility-bills/

💬 "The clean energy economy isn’t some abstract idea or future possibility — it’s here now." https://reimagineappalachia.org/west-virginias-second-chance-is-being-stolen/

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

West Virginia’s 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

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...

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

🕙 Our report release webinar is starting soon! Join us for a conversation on West Virginia's growing abandoned well problems—and how a large-scale well-plugging effort could create thousands of jobs: bit.ly/wv-well-problems

🏘️ 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

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

Kentucky utility companies made more than 268,000 disconnections in FY 2025—an 87% increase from the year prior. https://ow.ly/4Fv050Yo8W3

📊 West Virginia’s abandoned oil & gas wells are piling up—and 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

Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” 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

After August’s deadly explosion, Clairton Coke Works—and its history of violations and unsafe conditions— is in Nippon’s hands: https://www.publicsource.org/us-steel-clairton-coke-works-safety-environmental-accountability/

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

State lawmakers crafted the largest tax incentive package in PA history to lure Shell’s 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