Residents of West Virginia, Appalachian Ohio, and Pennsylvania were told 15 years ago to rejoice. A new oil and gas boom was coming and it would save us all. But we had heard it before. Most sensible people proceeded in a wait-and-see manner. A new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute – based on data from the US Energy Information Administration – suggests the approach was correct.
According to the Ohio Capital Journal, the report examined natural gas production statistics and economic outcomes in 22 counties responsible for 90% of Appalachian gas production. The West Virginia counties included in the study were Doddridge, Harrison, Marshall, Ohio, Ritchie, Tyler and Wetzel.
While these counties may have experienced some GDP growth, the report said the surveyed counties that experienced the largest population losses between 2008 and 2021 were Ritchie, Tyler and Wetzel, Monroe County, Ohio, and Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. Ritchie County saw a 20.28% drop. population decline during this period.
Keep in mind that the study was written by an organization that labels these 22 counties as “Frackalachia.” But the numbers showed that gas production has been going on since 2008 “deteriorated” and growth has slowed “poor” increases in 2008 “an absolute downfall” The Capital Journal reported.
“In terms of jobs, population and income, the major Appalachian shale gas producing counties have underperformed the region and the country economically since the beginning of the Appalachian boom.” says the ORVI report.
What else is new?
“Taken together, these results present a unique and troubling challenge for North Appalachian policymakers and for all of us who care about the economic well-being of a place that has suffered greatly since the collapse of the steel industry in the 1980’s.” The report’s author, Sean O’Leary, a senior ORVI researcher, wrote.
These policy makers need to consider two things: Some families in the region surveyed are better off today than they were before “Boom,” And there’s no telling how much worse things would have been for the region had oil and gas activity NOT increased.
With that in mind, it’s important to look at the data presented in the study and understand that oil and gas companies may not have been the saviors of our region as they promised. That just means it’s up to our policymakers to attract new employers that will diversify and strengthen the region’s economy.
We waited. We saw. And now we know that employers in the oil and gas industry are just part of what will bring a prosperous future to this region. The task now is to be ready for what comes next.
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