On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing the health and environmental impacts of the multi-billion dollar hydrogen hubs.
Last October, the US Department of Energy allocated $7 billion in federal funding to seven regional hubs to produce hydrogen. This project aims to support the Biden administration's objective of reaching net-zero carbon emissions nationwide by 2050 and achieving a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035.
According to a new investigation by the Environmental Health News, the hydrogen projects, which will use both renewable and fossil fuel energy to create hydrogen, have already faced criticism from community members and advocacy groups who say details of the projects remain hazy, public input is being planned after industry partners have already received millions of dollars in public funding, and communities don’t have agency in the decision-making process.
In July, California signed a contract with the US Department of Energy worth billions, according to the Los Angeles Times. The California hub — known as ARCHES, or the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems — will net $1.2 billion of that federal money, with plans to bring in an additional $11.2 billion in private investment. Private participants include oil and gas companies, labor unions, fuel cell makers, electric utilities, truck manufacturers, and more.
A hydrogen hub is a network of hydrogen production plants, trucks and pipelines for distribution, and customers include long-haul fuel cell trucks and buses, port equipment and electric generators.
Guests:
Kristina Marusic , award-winning reporter for Environmental Health News, covering issues related to environmental health and justice with a focus on Western Pennsylvania
Russ Mitchell, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.
Resources:
Los Angeles Times: California’s billion-dollar hydrogen hub project is approved — but not without controversy
Environmental Health News: Hydrogen hubs test new federal environmental justice rules
