Greater Wheeling Regional Plan: Industrial Cluster Analysis

One of the most prominent strategies followed by economic development officials is to identify what the region already does well and work to enhance these strengths. Improving on a region’s competitive advantage has been the focus of Porter’s work on economic clusters, which he defines as network of companies that forms within a geographic location based on supplier relationships. In this report, we identify the industry clusters that are present in the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and provide tools to assess the most promising clusters for economic development targeting. This type of cluster analysis has become an increasingly important way for regions to understand their local economic structure and more effectively develop strategies to promote economic growth

The Economic Impact of the Harrison Power Station on the Harrison County and West Virginia Economies

In this report, we estimate the economic impact of the Harrison Power Station on both the Harrison County economy and the West Virginia economy. We begin with an overview of the effects of the COVID pandemic on Harrison County’s economy, followed by the economic impact of the power station

Three Essays on Renewable Energy Policy and its Effects on Fossil Fuel Generation in Electricity Markets

In this dissertation, I investigate the effectiveness of renewable policies and consider their impact on electricity markets. The common thread of this research is to understand how renewable policy incentivizes renewable generation and how the increasing share of generation from renewables affects generation from fossil fuels. This type of research is crucial for understanding whether policies to promote renewables are meeting their stated goals and what the unintended effects might be. To this end, I use econometric methods to examine how electricity markets are responding to an influx of renewable energy. My dissertation is composed of three interrelated essays. In Chapter 1, I employ recent scholarship in spatial econometrics to assess the spatial dependence of Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), a prominent state-based renewable incentive. In Chapter 2, I explore the impact of the rapid rise in renewable generation on short-run generation from fossil fuels. And in Chapter 3, I assess the impact of renewable penetration on coal plant retirement decisions

Natural Gas Investment in West Virginia, 2010-2016

West Virginia’s natural gas boom began in 2010 as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques began to be applied to the state’s shale formations. Since then, West Virginia has become the nation’s ninth-largest natural gas producer in 2017, with gross withdrawals of more than 1.6 trillion cubic feet. Since the gas boom started, the natural gas industry has made considerable investments in the state to pay for well drilling, mineral royalties, and pipeline infrastructure, among other investment costs. In this report, we estimate these investments in two key areas: upstream costs and midstream infrastructure

Economic Impact of Downstream Gas Development in West Virginia

Downstream gas development has the potential to provide significant economic value if West Virginia can capture this development within its borders. In this report, we explore the potential impact of downstream natural gas industries on the West Virginia economy. To estimate the economic impact of downstream natural gas development, we take a two-pronged approach. First, we identify those industries nationally that require large amounts of natural gas in their production process. We then choose three of these industries that have the greatest potential for development within West Virginia. Second, we estimate the economic impact of a typical establishment in each of these industries based on national average employment and wages. From these estimates, we derive an overall potential economic impact

Economic Impact of a Proposed Metals Manufacturing Plant

In this briefing paper, we estimate the potential economic impact of a new metals manufacturing plant in West Virginia. Data for this study were provided by the West Virginia Development Office. We consider the economic impact of the plant construction and operational spending in terms of output, employment, employee compensation, and select state and local tax revenue

The Economic Impact of the North Central West Virginia Airport Expansion

The North Central West Virginia (NCWV) Airport in Clarksburg/Bridgeport has experienced rapid growth over the last decade. The number of airline passengers through the airport increased nearly four-fold between 2010 and 2019. The airport was also chosen as the primary US hub for the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries airplane refurbishment facility, which services airplanes from most major airlines. Because of this rapid growth, the NCWV Airport has begun construction on a new terminal building in order to handle the increased traffic through the area. In this report, we provide an economic impact estimate of the terminal’s expansion and associated growth in the aerospace industry on the West Virginia economy