Completed Research

Economic Modeling & Impact Assessments

Researchers: Randall Jackson (PI), Peter Jarosi
Start Date: July 1,2016
End Date: September 30, 2016
Funding Agency: NETL, $50,874
Project Summary: The Econometric Input-Output (ECIO) model is a time series enabled hybrid econometric input-output (IO) model that combines the capabilities of econometric modeling with the strengths of IO modeling. It is designed to facilitate the estimation of economic (specifically, employment and income) impacts of energy technology development, deployment, and operation over a forecast period consistent with the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) providing a consistent and comprehensive method for quantifying NETL's programmatic impacts.

Marcellus Shale Energy Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL)
Researchers: WVU and The Ohio State University

Researchers: WVU and The Ohio State University
Start Date: October 1, 2014
End Date: September 30, 2016
Funding Agency: DOE/NETL and Northeast Natural Energy, $7,770,226 (RRI portion $41,736)
Project Summary: This information is taken from  WVUToday.

“As the Appalachian Region feels the impact of the burgeoning shale-energy industry, a consortium of researchers and industrial partners led by West Virginia University, with the assistance of The Ohio State University, will conduct the first-ever long-term, comprehensive field study of a natural resource that has changed the country’s – and the world’s – energy supply. The team will identify and demonstrate technologies required for best practices in environmentally responsible shale development, from drilling to completion through production. The U.S. Department of Energy will allow the research team to create and manage the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory, a field site and dedicated research laboratory at the Morgantown Industrial Park. The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory will allow the team to address critical gaps of knowledge of the characterization, basic subsurface science, and completion and stimulation strategies that enable more efficient resource recovery from fewer wells with reduced environmental impact. The primary objectives of the project include providing a long-term research site with an existing well and documented production and environment baseline from two previously completed wells. A dedicated scientific-observation well will be used to collect detailed subsurface data and to monitor and test technologies in additional wells to be drilled periodically over the project lifetime. The site also offers a unique opportunity to enable an open, collaborative and integrated program of science and technology development and testing to minimize environmental impacts while maximizing economic benefits.” 

Economic and Environmental Impacts of Increased Woody Biomass Utilization for Bioenergy Production on the Rural Communities of the Central Appalachian Region

Researchers: Jingxin Wang (PI), Hodjat Ghadimi, Design and Landscape Architecture, West Virginia University; Kaushlendra Singh, Design Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University; Randall Jackson, Regional Research Institute West Virginia University; J. Wesley Burnett, Natural Resources and Design Resource Management, West Virginia University
Start Date: August 1, 2012
End Date: July 31, 2016
Funding Agency: USDA/National Institue of Food and Agriculture, $349,952 (RRI portion $110,244)
Project Summary: The central Appalachian region is one of the most economically depressed regions of the United States, but the region is rich in natural resources. The predominantly rural region has an economy that has been traditionally based on the extraction and use of natural resources. Coal, which has been the primary industry for much of the region is now facing a period in which the availability of the resource is declining and there is growing concern about its continued use as a fuel staple. For many of these communities, there is a need for the development of a new industry that will provide employment and boost the local and regional economy. The use of woody biomass may provide such an opportunity in this region. Specifically, the economic and environment impacts associate with the harvest, processing and utilization of woody biomass will be quantifies and modeled; additionally, the interactions between the utilization process and the environmental and economic impacts will be examined. To accomplish this analysis, we will develop a price and available quantity estimates based on spatial, topographic and potential harvesting systems; perform a lifecycle assessment to define the system processes and quantify the environmental impacts; utilize economic input/output models and computable general equilibrium models to determine the total impact increased biomass utilization will have on the economy in terms of job creation and economic growth.

Comprehensive Update & Revision of ECIO Documentation & Manual

The Technology, Energy, Economy and Environment (TEEE) Chain: Integrated Modeling for Technology Transition in Energy Rich Regions

Researchers: Hodjat Ghadimi (PI) Design and Landscape Architecture, West Virginia University; Randall W. Jackson, Regional Research Institute, West Viginia University; J. Wesley Burnett, Resource Management, West Viginia University; Jerald Fletcher, Resource Management, West Virginia University
Start Date: August 15, 2012
End Date: July 31, 2015
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, $335,930 (RRI portion $123,488)
Project Summary: The transition to a sustainable clean energy future is one of the greatest challenges of this new century. Major economies are competing to dominate the emerging energy economy and government, regardless of their position on the plan-market spectrum, play a critical and distinctive role in driving technology development an adoption. In an increasingly interdependent world, the technology-energy-environment-economy (TEEE) interplay has profound implications for the world economy and presents very distinct analytical challenges both to engineers and social scientists. A thorough understanding of this complex system is vital for sustainable development at regional, national and global levels, and there is an urgent need for a comprehensive integrated framework for analyzing such engineering-economic systems. The proposed TEEE framework analyzes technology, energy, environment, and the economy in two important energy rich regions (ERRs) - West Viginia and Shanxi Province, China - and provides a comprehensive set of analytical tools for understanding the national and global consequences of interactions among these complex systems. This research will establish an engineering-based economic framework for an integrated analysis of the TEEE system by a multidisciplinary research team.

Benefits Analysis and Modeling

Researchers: Randall Jackson
Start Date: October 18, 2013
End Date: July 14, 2015
Funding Agency: NETL, $68,157
Project Summary: NETL has partnered with WVU through ESPA to study the response of the US economy to changes in the electricity markets. This has resulted in the development of the NETL-WVU Econometric Input-Output Model (NETL-WVU ECIO Model) with the objective of estimating the economic and employment impacts of NETL's technology development, deployment, and operation over a corresponding NEMS forecast period, and to ultimately quantify NETL's programmatic impacts with a consistent approach.

2014

Employment and GDP Impacts of FE Coal R&D Technology Deployments

Researchers: Randall Jackson
Start Date: May 22, 2014
End Date: July 31, 2014
Funding Agency: NETL, $9,000
Project Summary: NETL has partnered with WVU to study the response of the United States economy to changes in the electricity markets. This has resulted in the development of the NETL-WVU Econometric Input-Output Model with the objective of estimating the economic and employment impacts of NETL's technology development, deployment, and operation over a corresponding NEMS forecast period and to ultimately quantify NETL's programmatic impacts with a consistent approach.

Advanced Materials Market Opportunity and Benefits Assessment

Researchers: Randall Jackson
Start Date: August 1, 2013
End Date: January 31, 2014
Funding Agency: NETL, $20,020
Project Summary: The objective of this activity is to quantify the domestic and international market opportunities for advanced materials and resulting benefits. The results of this study aims to provide insights that are useful to the Crosscutting Research Technology Manager and assist in guiding Advanced Materials program direction. ESPA will use expertise gained from their previous analysis work for Crosscutting Research.

2013

Carbon Capture Technology Export Market Assessment

Researchers: Randall Jackson and Mulugeta Kahsai
Start Date: May 1, 2013
End Date: October 31, 2013
Funding Agency: NETL, $16,000
Project Summary: Researchers will provide economic and engineering analysis and modeling support to the Office of Program Planning and Analysis within NETL's Strategic Center for Coal so that they can understand the economic benefits of past export markets for fossil energy technologies and quantify the possible benefits, both economic and environmental, of carbon capture technology exports.

General Benefits Support for Analysis that Support Multiple SCC R&D Programs

Researchers: Randall W. Jackson and Mulugeta Kahsai
Start Date: May 1, 2013
End Date: October 31, 2013
Funding Agency: NETL, $8,500
Project Summary: The objective of this activity is to support the Office of Program Planning and Analysis in conducting as-needed benefits analysis support for analyses that crosscut multiple R&D programs withing the NETL's Strategic Center for Coal. This will be done by developing a comparison of the key macroeconomic variable results (i.e. employment, income, and GDP) which demonstrates the differences between a NEMS and ECIO economic forecast when a CO2 tax policy is applied.

Econometric Input-Output Enhancements

Researchers: Randall Jackson and Mulugeta Kahsai
Start Date: November 1, 2012
End Date: October 31, 2013
Funding Agency: NETL, $98,826
Project Summary: This project will conduct a model extension and refinement feasibility study, integrate petroleum market impact analysis into an ECIO model, integrate comprehensive power plant construction impacts into an ECIO model and prepare a final report of results.

Employment Impact Analysis Using an Econometric Input-Output Model and Updates and supplement 

Researchers: Randall Jackson, Mulugeta Kahsai and Zheng Tian
Start Date: May 12, 2010
End Date: April 30, 2013
Funding Agency: NETL, $243,957
Project Summary: The overall objectives of this effort are to develop a model that will facilitate capturing the economic and employment impacts of technology development, deployment and operation over a given forecast period and ultimately to quantify NETL's programmatic impacts under an increasingly consistent approach. The new modeling framework will support price sensitivity, input substitution and allow for the incorporation of new energy-producing sectors to more accurately portray the impact of technology development and deployment over time.

Incorporating Energy Price Changes and Regionalization in an ECIO Model and supplement 

2012

Collaborative Research: Evaluation without Bias: New Performance Measures for Business Incubators in Rural America

Researchers: Shaoming Chen, Florida International University; Peter Schaeffer, Division of Resource Management; Randall W. Jackson, Junbo Yu, and Mark Middleton, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; Kingsley Haynes, James Riggle, and Haifeng Qian, George Mason University
Start Date: September 1, 2008
End Date: August 31, 2012
Funding Agency: USDA's National Research Initiative (NRI), $499,965
Project Summary: The proposed integrated project demonstrates the importance of business incubation for entrepreneurship fostering and rural economic development. It shows that existing evaluation tools for business incubators are lacking and that there have been numerous flawed attempts to evaluate incubator performance in the past. Moreover, it shows that there have been systematic and inherent biases against rural incubators in the way evaluation data have been interpreted with regard to rural business incubation programs where successful business formation and development are known to be considerably more difficult than in more urbanized areas. The research produces new and expended tools and instruments for evaluating the performance of rural business incubators, specifically, quantitative quasi-experimental and input-output measures and qualitative balanced scorecard measures. Major outputs of the integrated project include: 1) An evaluation toolkit for business incubators. The toolkit will include a description of the problems rural incubators face, the methods for addressing these problems, and draft protocols (measurement instruments and instructions on their utilization) for evaluation of rural business incubators. 2) A handbook for policy makers and practitioners in business incubation entrepreneurship nurturing, and rural development. The policy handbook highlights the challenges and opportunities for rural incubators, develops generalizable, yet tailored policy tools and action plans addressing identified challenges, and provides a strategic focus on the needs of the development of business incubators and quality entrepreneurship in the economically distressed areas. 3) A new curriculum, which emphasizes the interconnection between entrepreneurship and rural development.

2011

Collaborative Researchers: Materials Flow Modeling in Sustainable Industrial Systems within Urban Centers

Researchers: Nancey Green Leigh, Bert Bras, Steven French, Catherine Ross, and John Muzzy, City & Regional Planning, Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington; Randall Jackson, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University
Start Date: August 1, 2009
End Date: August 31, 2011
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, $160,714
Project Summary: Urban centers contain a significant and growing fraction of population and material and energy flows associated with the use and disposal of products. Re-engineering the flows of materials - particularly the patterns of their disposal - is critical to achieving sustainable systems within national boundaries, across international boundaries, and across generations. Yet, the urban landscape and population, and their associated material flows, have been underrepresented in models of sustainable industrial system growth. In developing models and tools to shape the next generation of industrial systems for materials mined from urban centers, the spatial distribution of these material resources must be integrated because successful design of sustainable systems cannot occur in a geographical vacuum. In recognition of the symbiotic material flow relationship between manufacturing companies and urban regions, this multi-disciplinary collaborative research effort will develop a framework for modeling and assessing the impact of redesigning urban materials flows to advance the mutual goals of sustainable industrial and urban systems. Our common focus is on mining specific products and associated materials from urban centers through new recycling networks and facilities for the Atlanta and Seattle metropolitan regions, and on modeling the economic development and environmental effects of different material flow scenarios on these regions. In our work, we will connect Geographic Information Systems data to demographic data, to consumer behavior models, to product models with material information, to industrial recycling process models, to Input-Output and Social Accounting Matrix models, and to transportation and environmental impact assessment models. The resulting framework and models will be applied to evaluate specific techno-economic-policy scenarios of interest to the cities of Atlanta and Seattle in carpet and electronics recycling in terms of material flows, transportation, economic development, and environmental impact. Recognizing the global need for such models and analysis systems, our work includes a problem-based international educational component focused on the dumping of electronic waste in Africa. We expect the research insights generated by this project will help in closing the significant gap in thinking on sustainability that has resulted from treating industrial systems separately from urban systems. Closing this gap is a necessary condition for fully mitigating the environmental impacts of industry. Outcomes will include improved modeling of material flows for the urban scale that will help in developing market-based collection and recycling systems which take into account the impacts of consuming greenfields, inner city economic revitalization, and landfill reduction. Thus, this research is intended to encourage new manufacturing activity via waste diversion in distressed areas -- a promising economic development strategy that promotes urban sustainability.

Support Analysis for Senate Bill 518

Appalachian Assessment of Natural Assets: Water

2010

Planning and Financing Energy Efficient Infrastructure

Researchers: Hodjat Ghadimi and Randall W. Jackson, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; The Cadmus Group, Inc.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Start Date: October 6, 2009
End Date: September 30, 2010
Funding Agency: Appalachian Regional Commission, $27,000
Project Summary: This study will develop a practical framework to help the municipalities and counties covered by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in assessing, planning, and financing energy-efficient infrastructure and facility improvements. The framework will have as its foundation a summary of relevant data from research, cost-benefit analyses of efficiency measures (and models for municipal use), and region-specific "best practices" (including costs and jobs created), as well as holistic models of sustainable infrastructure and financing, customized for the region, which relate energy and water management. Ultimately, the ARC municipalities and counties need energy efficiency measures to be installed that will provide savings, contribute to public health, and create jobs, thus stimulating the regional economy and enhancing the competitiveness of the Appalachian region within the nation.

Collaborative Research: Performance Measurement and Asset Mapping of Regional Innovation Systems in the United States

Researchers: Shaoming Cheng, Florida International University; Randall W. Jackson, Junbo Yu, Eric Bowen and Zheng Tian, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; Kingsley Haynes and James Riggle, George Mason University
Start Date: September 16, 2008
End Date: March 31, 2010
Funding Agency: Economic Development Administration (EDA), $192,647
Project Summary: The long-term goal of this project is to strengthen regional innovation systems, enhance innovation capacities, and promote regional development in the United States. The objective of the proposal is to create quantitative, comprehensive, and systemic regional innovation measures which highlight gaps in regional innovation assets, resources endowments and commitments, and policy options that motivate, align, and leverage regional assets, build up integrated and coherent regional innovation systems, and achieve regional prosperity. This research is also intended to identify regions, competitors or peers, with similar regional asset endowments and gaps yet different development prospects for future road trips of regional leaders and stakeholders and for related comparative case studies to shed light on shared and tailored development strategies.

2009

Office Systems, Analysis Planning Support-National and State Economic Impact of NETL

Researchers: Randall W. Jackson, Amanda Krugh, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; Brian LaShier NETL; Ron Munson, Research and Development Solutions, LLC (RDS)
Start Date: January 12, 2009
End Date: December 14, 2009
Funding Agency: NETL, $84,311
Project Summary: The project objective is to develop a means for regularly estimating state-level and national economic impacts derived from NETL federal and on-site contractor employment and operational activities as well as the impact of providing funding to support external research. This project is driven by the WV, PA, and national models developed in FY06 that are based on 1997 input-output data. This project will result in up-to-date models as well as new state-level model for Oregon. Additionally, this project will yield a standardized NETL-data collection process and impact assessments. The intent is to develop models and an assessment methodology that can be used by NETL and its partner research universities for current and future impact assessments.

Impact Forecasting thru Econometric IO Model

Researchers: Randall W. Jackson and Mulugeta Kahsai
Start Date: June 3, 2009
End Date: November 14, 2009
Funding Agency: NETL, $104,118
Project Summary: This project serves as the design phase for a time-series enabled hybrid model (EC-IO) that combines the capabilities of econometric modeling with the strengths of IO modeling. The objective of the tool that will be designed is to facilitate capturing the economic and employment impacts of technology development, deployment and operation over a given forecast period and ultimately to quantify NETL's programmatic impacts under an increasingly consistent approach. This tool shall be in an NETL supported framework and the design shall support user entries that adequately define an analysis scenario.

Economic Impact of Domestic Fossil-based Resources

Researchers: Randall W. Jackson, Christa Jensen, Ryan Post, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; Phil DiPietro, Lisa Phares, Gavin Pickenpaugh, NETL/OSAP; Lynn Manfredo, Bruce Brown, Walt North, Andrew Jones, Sheldon Kramer, Thomas Davis, Research and Development Solutions, LLC (RDS)
Start Date: February 17, 2009
End Date: November 14, 2009
Funding Agency: NETL, $101,958
Project Summary: The objective of this activity is to expand the model developed under sub-task 404.03.02 - Energy Policy Act of 2005, Section 999: Valuing Domestically Produced Natural Gas and Oil to incorporate complex modeling recommendations from the CY08 merit review panel as well as from NETL management. Additionally, this task calls for model enhancements that will support the analysis of coal-to-liquids development. These model enhancements will result in a more comprehensive and sensitive model that supports more rigorous analyses of domestic resource development, from both on and offshore resources. The scope of this subtask includes but is not limited to: economic analysis guidance; technical and economic analysis of oil, gas, CTL, refinery, and gathering pipeline industries; customization of existing model to address analysis scope; model execution and results analysis; communication support, including, but not limited to: methodology and model customization/development documentation; analysis definition and result reporting; and contextual analysis of results.

2008

Valuing Domestically Produced Natural Gas and Oil

Researchers: Randall Jackson, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; Lisa Phares, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

Start Date: September 25, 2007

End Date: December 31, 2008

Funding Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory, $106,940

Project Summary: Technologies supported and advanced by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct999 technologies) funding are expected to increase US natural gas and oil production while lowering production costs. The goal of this project is to develop a model that will facilitate a national and regional economic analysis of the impacts of offsetting imports by increasing domestic natural gas and oil production in areas likely to be impacted by EpAct999 technologies. Ultimately, this project is aimed at capturing the economic impacts of industry-based activity associated with converting new and existing reserves into production and moving this product to the point of refinement or processing. The incremental value of these activities is the net value of the domestic production activities less the value of import-related activities within the US.

2007

Models of Energy Futures and NETL's Local/Regional Economic and Environmental Impact

Researchers: Randall Jackson, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University; David Martinelli, Civil & Environmental Engineering; researchers from Carnegie Mellon University; and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
Start Date: August 18, 2006
End Date: July 31, 2007
External Funding: National Energy Technology Laboratory, $74,995
Project Summary: This project provided a means for (1) regularly estimating the economic benefits that NETL employment and funding has on the state economy in terms of job creation and (2) identifying the more extensive state-level benefits from NETL research and energy industry improvements in the form of reduced costs and environmental impacts. In future years, the project work could develop means for quantifying the benefits associated with NETL research results and energy industry improvements. The intent was to develop a methodology that could be used by NETL and its partner research universities for continuing impact assessments and to provide guidance in decision making with respect to research investments. The project involved researchers at Carnegie Mellon and West Virginia Universities as well as personnel from NETL.

2005

Constructing a Social Accounting Matrix for US States

Researchers: Randall Jackson, Yasuhide Okuyama
Start Date: August 1, 2003
End Date: January 31, 2005
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, $99,994
Project Summary: Various mechanisms link the fortunes of regional economies to one another. These linkages can be political, social, and economic, and can involve not only flows of information but also flows of goods and services (commodities). Through the exchange of information and commodities (interregional trade), economic impulses are transmitted throughout the regions in an economic system. Hence, economic growth in one region can stimulate other regional economies, and likewise, downturns in the economy of one region can have negative impacts on other interdependent regions. Understanding the nature of these interregional linkages can be enhanced by providing a formal representation of information and commodity flows among regions. This project will provide such a representation in the form of interregional trades of commodities among US states, delineating both industry and institutional origins and destinations. The project focuses on the estimation of interstate exchanges of commodities, leaving the estimation of interregional factor flows and interregional inter-institutional flows as avenues for future research. Information primarily from two sources is used in estimating the trade flows. The first is a commercially available dataset that enumerates intraregional commodity, factor and institutional flows, and the second is publicly available transportation shipment data from the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Because disclosure rules and statistical reliability problems make it impossible to use the unmodified CFS data, the project uses a three-phase method to generate an interregional commodity flow accounting framework that is consistent with published national data. First, spatial regularities within the CFS data are estimated econometrically. Optimization techniques are then applied to estimate gross interregional flows by commodity. Lastly, the structure of these relationships is used to map the intraregional accounts to a consistent multiregional system. The interregional database that results from this project will provide a foundation for a wide variety of analytical research advancing knowledge and understanding of the US state and interstate economic system. Analyses that will flow from this database include studies of economic structure and structural change, and the identification of key industry sectors and critical interstate linkages by state. The database will find use as the foundation of a range of extended models formulated specifically to analyze the economic impacts of various policies, including those that focus on trade, transportation infrastructure, and economic development.

An Analysis of Industry Clusters Related to the Advent of Thin Slab Casting 

Constructing Interregional Commodity-Industry Accounts for US States

Researchers: Randall Jackson and Yasuhide Okuyama
Start Date: August 1, 2003
End Date: February 28, 2005
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation, $ 99,994
Project Summary: Various mechanisms link the fortunes of regional economies to one another. These linkages can be political, social, and economic, and can involve not only flows of information but also flows of goods and services (commodities). Through the exchange of information and commodities (interregional trade), economic impulses are transmitted throughout the regions in an economic system. Hence, economic growth in one region can stimulate other regional economies, and likewise, downturns in the economy of one region can have negative impacts on other interdependent regions. Understanding the nature of these interregional linkages can be enhanced by providing a formal representation of information and commodity flows among regions. This project will provide such a representation in the form of interreginal trades of commodities among US states, delineating both industry and institutional origins and destinations. The project focuses on the estimation of interstate exchanges of commodities, leaving the estimation of interregional factor flows and interregional inter-institutional flows as avenues for future research. Information primarily from two sources is used in estimating the trade flows The first is a commercially available dataset that enumerates intraregional commodity, factor and institutional flows, and the second is publicly available transportation shipment data from the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Because disclosure rules and statistical reliability problems make it impossible to use the unmodified CFS data, the project uses a three-phase method to generate an interregional commodity flow accounting framework that is consistent with published national data. First, spatial regularities within the CFS data are estimated econometrically. Optimization techniques are then applied to estimate gross interregional flows by commodity. Lastly, the structure of these relationships is used to map the intraregional accounts to a consistent multiregional system. The interregional database that results from this project will provide a foundation for a wide variety of analytical research advancing knowledge and understanding of the US state and interstate economic system. Analyses that will flow from this dabase include studies on economic structure and structural change, and the identification of key inductry sectors and critical interstate linkages by state. The database will find use as the foundation of a range of extended models formulated specifically to analyze the economic impacts of various policies, including those that focus on trade, transportation infrastructure, and economic development.