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Guest column/To build or not to build … are we even permitted?

Appalachia is an American energy powerhouse, supplying the natural gas that underpins U.S. energy security, national security and our nation’s leading role in reducing carbon emissions. These are truths widely recognized and fiercely defended by residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, so much so that Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign walked back her opposition of the industry to appeal to voters in the area. Although the debate over fracking bans has dominated headlines, it’s a red herring in the broader battle for U.S. energy ...

Good things happening

Raising money for anything can be a challenge, but when you have a strong belief in how it will benefit others, the job is not so difficult. A reminder came from Paul Michael “Mickey” Pohl Wednesday. “I was trying to retire as a lawyer with a global law firm, and we have a condo in Florida,” said Pohl, who has had a long career with Jones Day. His plans changed a little after a stop by the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a visit that included breakfast and some time spent admiring the Intercoastal Waterway. “I knew ...

Guest column/Hydrogen hub project is bad for our communities

On Aug. 16, I sat in on the third public meeting (by zoom) about the ARCH2 Clean Hydrogen Hub. This meeting was conducted by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The Department of Energy held two listening sessions about the hub this spring. After all three sessions, citizens were left in the dark as to the project details. There were more than 200 questions logged during the OCED call and approximately three were answered. The lack of public engagement has been ongoing throughout the process even though the DOE promised significant community engagement. It seems the only ...

It’s hard knowing what you want to be growing up

Oftentimes, I try to associate my column with what this week’s Valley Life article is about. So when I decided to write about local authors, I thought perhaps I should talk a little bit about why I decided to become a writer myself. If you could call me that. I am certainly not an author. Typically, I am a waitress. It is usually the profession I always find myself going back to simply because it makes me enough money in which to live sort of comfortably. What I always truly wanted to do, however, is write. I mean, when I was little, I didn’t think about becoming a writer. ...

Guest column/Prepare for high power bills

There is a ticking time bomb hanging over the U.S. economy. The nation’s electricity grid operators and utilities are projecting rapidly approaching power shortfalls. And instead of helping address the crisis, U.S. energy policy is making a bad situation far worse. Power demand is suddenly soaring. New battery and semiconductor manufacturing, reshoring of supply chains and the arrival of electric vehicles are all driving demand. But it’s the emergence of artificial intelligence and the exponential growth of enormous data centers — with the power needs of small cities — that ...

Guest column/Labor Rights Week reminds federal law protects everyone

During Labor Rights Week 2024, which runs Monday through Aug. 31, the U.S. Department of Labor joins with many foreign embassies, including the Mexican Embassy and its 52 consulates, community and faith-based groups and federal and state officials to promote the protection of rights to which every person who works in the U.S. is entitled. Safe and healthy workplaces, payment of all legal wages and the speaking out to question working conditions or wage practices are rights guaranteed by U.S. law, regardless of immigration status. The law says: If you work in the U.S., you have these ...