Frackalachia: Frac’ers lied about economic promises; jobs and population were lost, not gained with families poisoned and drinking water contaminated; water permanently lost from the hydrogeological cycle; and pollution escalated, worsening the global warming crisis.

ORVI report says fracking industry fails to deliver on economic promises, The 2025 “Frackalachia” report focused on 30 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that are responsible for 95% of Appalachian gas production, including Columbiana County by Alexandra Ross, July 31, 2025, 21WFMJNews clip at link

COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio – When it comes to fracking, politicians often fight over what is best for the economy versus what is best for the environment. But according to one new report, the natural gas industry hasn’t delivered the economic benefits it’s promised to Appalachia.

“I’m from Wheeling, West Virginia,” said Sean O’Leary, senior researcher at the Ohio River Valley Institute. “I kept hearing these glowing reports about how the economy was expanding with the growth of the natural gas industry, but I could look around and I could see we were losing population, we were losing jobs.”

The ORVI, a think tank dedicated to “a more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and prosperous Appalachia,” released an updated “Frackalachia” report Thursday. Previous versions of the report came out in 2021 and 2023.

Their analysis focused on 30 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that are responsible for 95% of Appalachian gas production, including Columbiana County.

“Columbiana is, frankly, a poster child for the damage that’s being done,” O’Leary said.

The report found Columbiana County outperformed the U.S. in Gross Domestic Product change from 2008-2023. Columbiana County’s GDP grew roughly 97%, while the U.S. GDP grew by about 88%.

But despite strong GDP growth, the county saw only about 60% of the income growth the nation saw — and while the U.S. overall gained both population and jobs, Columbiana County showed losses in both categories. This pattern continued with many counties in the study.

According to O’Leary, strong GDP appears in the data alongside weaker jobs and income data because the natural gas industry is capital-intensive, but not labor-intensive.

In other words, it requires a lot of money to develop, but due to improved technology and efficiency, they don’t require much labor. Therefore, while the revenue generated from those plants will manifest in a stronger GDP, not as much money is infused into the local economy through wages.

“Nearly all of that money is landing in the pockets of investors, and the corporate executives, and shareholders of the companies, and in their creditors and providers of professional services, virtually all of whom are somewhere else,” O’Leary said.

The ORVI isn’t trying to claim fracking has caused these trends, O’Leary clarified. But he said the numbers are proof the natural gas industry “is structurally incapable of generating growth in those measures of prosperity.”

“Any efforts that state or local governments make to try to encourage development of natural gas may or may not work in terms of the natural gas industry, but … they won’t make much of a difference with respect to local economic performance,” O’Leary said.

“That’s all pretty much wasted effort, and it’s diverting important public resources that we could otherwise use to invest in other industries and in other activities that would have far more promise economically,” he added.

Refer also to:

2025: National Geographic: What fracking is doing to the Earth—and to our bodies; Dr. Sandra Steingraber: “This is a public health crisis.”

2024: Oil & gas production going up up up, jobs going down down down. It’s called greed. Greg Upton: “Isn’t it great we can produce more with less?”

2024: Frac “Pump & Pray” Research & Development to overcome brutality and ignorance continues: Meet Encana/Ovintiv’s “Trimul-frac” in the frac-fucked Permian. All that illegal aquifer frac’er cares about is making more money, slashing jobs and getting away with breaking the law.

2023: Big bitumen, oil, gas & frac’ers hold the world captive boasting jobs jobs jobs while slashing 1000’s of workers via automation to serve greed greed greed (as our world burns).

2021: 25 oil & gas bankruptcies destroy more than 10,000 jobs and pay 76 executives $199 Million, about $2.6 million each, after frac boom built on tax breaks, subsidies, “regulatory favours” and massive debt while destroying environment. No surprise, with judges paving the way.

2021: All those promised millions of frac jobs: Just another Big Lie

2021: Diary of a frac’d resident in NEBC. Damn It Premier Horgan, find some humanity! Ban Frac’ing! For the Love of Water, Community and People, not just Fake Jobs for Multinational Polluters.

2021: Frac’ing is a Big Fat Fail; Appalachia’s frac boom failed to deliver on promises of local jobs and benefits. Of course it did, frac’ers and their enablers knew it would; frac’ing survives on conning investors, massive debt and gagging the harmed. Locals get: health harms; toxic homes, schools, water, air and land; frac’d authorities and courts; massive stress and sleepless noisy stadium light-filled nights; damaged roads and other infrastructure; more women and children raped; more STDs; lies and useless commitments from companies and lobby groups; fraud from experts and regulators; mega $Billions in clean-up.

2020: The Alberta gov’t and oil & gas industry are partners in a money laundering scheme. Just another massive subsidy ($100 million this time) to a multi-$billion profiting, horrifically abusive, lying, polluting, job decimating (by automation & greed) industry.

2020: “Kenney the job killer.” Lyin’ thugs Steve Harper, Jason Kenney & Ralph Klein, etc. etc. etc., decimatin’ jobs, pensions, regulations, health & education to give $Billions to $Billion-profiting oil & gas companies (mostly foreign-owned), while hangin’ Canadians with pollution, infrastructure devastation, clean-up & health harms.

2020: Why is Zion Market Research promoting Sanjel Corp. as a “Major Market Player?” In 2016, Sanjel was sold in pieces at a great loss, less than the “$397 million owed 12 banks led by Alberta ATB” – nicely enabled by our courts.

2020: Encana/Ovintiv Greedy Frac’ing Bloodbath Continues, Kills More Jobs After Promising Not To.

2020: Greed greed greed: Another 600 jobs cut in Houston oil patch

2019: Analyzing Alberta’s “gooey delusion of perpetual oil revenue.” Robyn Allen: Globe and Mail columnist Robyn Urback sends wrong message characterizing Albertans as helplessly bullied, “Jobs are disappearing because oil producers have accelerated their strategy of displacing workers with technology.” … “Big Oil seems to have decided Alberta’s males are disposable.”

2019: New study says shale gas not worth it, not even for the jobs: “Air pollution from shale gas development activities in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia from 2004 to 2016 resulted in 1,200 to 4,600 premature deaths in the region” costing $23 billion. “Climate impacts produced mid-range costs of an additional $34 billion” while cumulative impacts on water and air quality, ecosystem, climate, labor markets and public health “are still largely unexplored and unaccounted for.”

2019: In Texas, energy companies cut nearly 6,000 jobs over past four months. In western Canada, Husky cutting hundreds of jobs, most cuts in Calgary. Kenney’s $4.5 billion in corporate tax cuts obviously not enough to feed the greed.

2019: Quintana Energy Services Inc., oil field services company (went public in Feb 2018) cuts over 130 jobs, assets, C-level position to reduce costs; many companies dealing with “shifting investor expectations” and “crushing” debt

2019: Frac jobs keep getting frac’d: CNX lays off about 50 workers, “This is part of our normal course as we’re always looking…to get better.”

2019: Frac jobs getting frac’d

2019: Where did all those promises of endless frac riches & jobs go? Two of Canada’s biggest frac companies report double-digit percentage revenue declines: Calgary-based Trican (36 per cent fall) and Calfrac (21 per cent fall)

2019: ‘Frac’ intensity in shale wells wears out equipment faster: Halliburton. Is that why the company cut 8% of North American Jobs, shelving unused frac gear?

2019: Frac’ing creates job jobs jobs? Frac Quake Shaker Repsol laying off 30 per cent of Canadian staff

2018: Rolling Stone reports on Compendium 5: ‘The Harms of Fracking’: New Report Details Increased Risks of Asthma, Birth Defects and Cancer. Dr. Sandra Steingraber: “Fracking is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” Dr. Pouné Saberi: “There is a code of silence….” Workers rarely report injuries or hazards, for fear of losing their jobs.

2017: What Does Fracking Bring? Lots of Permanent Harms, Eradication of Long Term Jobs, “Widespread industrialisation, permanent environmental degradation, and severe damage to public health.”

2017: “Jobs” & corporate profits trump public health & water yet again. But in the oil patch, jobs are being left behind: “I don’t see a future.” … “Pretty soon every rig will have one worker and a robot.”

2016: Jobs Jobs Jobs & Frac Prosperity for All? Buyer to close Sanjel’s Calgary headquarters due to ‘miserable’ demand for its services

2016: How fast the greedy frac’ers fall: Privately held Sanjel broken up and sold to rivals, will only recover fraction of what it owes lenders

2016: Didn’t industry, politicians, regulators promise that fracing creates endless jobs, riches for all? Trican, 10th Largest US Frac Fleet Sold For 38 Cents On The Dollar

2015: What happened to those endless promises that fracing brings jobs jobs jobs and prosperity for all? Trican lays off 137 workers in Odessa, how many in Alberta?Trican is the frac’er for Encana that illegally frac’d Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers in 2001 and 2004, enabled by gov’t, AER, the water regulator and the courts. You get frac’d, and they frac you again and again and again, with zero aftercare. Even the dead get million dollar after care when they ski or snow mobile out of bounds in dangerous conditions, but not frac’d families who do nothing wrong or illegal. We were heavily frac’d for decades by Encana, soon to be frac’d all over again, by sour oil, run from clean up, illegal bitcoin operator, scheister Persist Oil & Gas.

2014: What happened to all those jobs fracing creates? Encana bets against frac jobs

2014: Harper government gives Sudbury mining centre $15M to help frac companies while closing embassies, libraries and veteran affairs offices, and eliminating 19,000 jobs

2014: Stunning Fact: NY Creates 4 Times As Many Jobs As PA Without 1 Shale Well

2014: Sanjel Corp. plans frac fleet expansion, Customer demand drives 120,000 h.p. decision

2013: Harper government cutting more than $100 million and about 500 jobs related to protection of water

2013: Contrary to promises of massive jobs and prosperity for all from hydraulic fracturing, Layoffs begin at Encana

2013: Isn’t frac’ing supposed to create massive prosperity and jobs? Encana proves it isn’t so!

2012: AEA: Support to the identification of potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involving hydraulic fracturing in Europe

A proportion (25% to 100%) of the water used in hydraulic fracturing is not recovered, and consequently this water is lost permanently to re-use, which differs from some other water uses in which water can be recovered and processed for re-use.

2011: Alberta’s shale gas fortunes hinge on water management, Water use in frac jobs flagged as ‘critical issue’ by ERCBFrac’ers and their law-violating abusive to the frac harmed enablers like ERC (now AER) only care about money and deregulation to make more money, nothing else. Their inhumane enablers care about even less.