Frackalachia Update 2025: Data Centers & LNG Replace Petrochemicals & Hydrogen as the Natural Gas Boom’s Shiny Objects That are Destined to Disappoint

The race to expand Appalachian natural gas production in anticipation of new power demand for AI data centers and increased export capacity of liquified natural gas (LNG) is unlikely to generate long-term job growth or local prosperity, according to a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute.

“For over a decade, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have premised their economic futures on the ability of natural gas and its downstream industries, from petrochemicals and hydrogen to rising LNG exports and data center-driven power demand growth, to deliver jobs and prosperity,” said report author Sean O’Leary, Senior Researcher with the Ohio River Valley Institute. “But these industries have proven structurally incapable of delivering almost any real, measurable economic benefit to the region.”

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