President Joe Biden visited Philadelphia last Friday to announce that Pennsylvania would be among the states to benefit from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding to support hydrogen hubs.
According to the White House:
“The seven selected regional clean hydrogen hubs will catalyze more than $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs – bringing the total public and private investment in hydrogen hubs to nearly $50 billion. In addition to job creation and creating healthier air for communities, the hydrogen-selected hubs are committed to robust Community Benefit Plans to ensure local priorities are at the forefront and all communities share in the benefits of the clean energy transition.”
PA Chamber President & CEO Luke Bernstein was invited and attended the president’s announcement and made the following statement:
“Pennsylvania is a global energy leader that is home to abundant natural resources, industry thought leaders, and cutting-edge innovators. We have led every major energy transition in our nation’s history and the PA Chamber is excited for Pennsylvania to help lead this historic initiative as well.”
The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorized DOE to invest $8 billion in so-called “hydrogen hubs” across the nation to develop hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel for various industrial, power generation, and transportation markets.
DOE has announced that two projects in which Pennsylvania is a partner have been funded: the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen (MACH2) Hub based in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware; and the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen (ARCH2) Hub based in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. A widely supported hub also based in western Pennsylvania, known as the Decarbonization Network of Appalachia (DNA H2Hub), was not funded.
“We applaud those Pennsylvania companies and partners who worked so hard to facilitate this historic opportunity that will create jobs, protect our environment, and benefit our Commonwealth, the nation, and the world,” Bernstein added. “At the same time, we were hopeful that the DNA H2Hub would also be selected for investment, as its application was extraordinarily competitive. We remain hopeful that this project will be considered for potential funding opportunities in the future.”
Coverage of the event was highlighted across statewide media.
More information regarding the specific projects funded under this initiative is available here.