When you think of West Virginia you probably think of coal. But as the coal industry dies a slow death Appalachia is now pulled in two different directions. On the one hand natural gas fracking now dominates the Ohio River Valley and countless miles of gas pipelines spread like spaghetti across the region. On the other hand a growing network of activists are envisioning an entirely different future that moves beyond an extractive economy toward shared prosperity, lasting job growth, clean energy, and civic engagement.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk with two people at the forefront of reshaping the direction of Appalachia. Ted Boettner is a senior researcher with the Ohio River Valley Institute. Eric de Place, with Sightline Institute in Seattle, and a frequent guest on Locus Focus, is also a research fellow at Ohio River Valley Institute.
- KBOO