"The Energy Department awarded up to $7 billion in grants for clean hydrogen “hubs,” but environmentalists warn some of the money could prop up fossil fuels and fail to cut emissions."

"PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden traveled to a marine terminal here on Friday to announce billions in funding for new clean hydrogen projects that he said would help the nation meet its climate goals while generating thousands of new high-quality jobs. Surrounded by lines of shipping containers on a dock along the Delaware River, Biden positioned the program as a critical piece of his economic and climate platforms.

“The investment we’re making today will be for our kids and grandkids,” Biden said. “Today’s announcement is transformational.”

The announcement included up to $7 billion in grants for seven hydrogen “hubs” across the country, including two in Pennsylvania, and marks the biggest step yet in a controversial pillar of the president’s climate agenda.

Many advocates and policy experts say a new clean hydrogen industry could, if designed well, play an important role in cutting climate pollution from sectors of the economy without good low-carbon alternatives, like steel making, fertilizer production and aviation. But some of those same experts warn that, without proper guardrails, expanded use of hydrogen could also undercut climate goals and extend reliance on fossil fuels while costing the government potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies."

Nicholas Kusnetz and Jon Hurdle report for Inside Climate News October 13, 2023. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"‘So Many Ways Hydrogen Can Go Wrong’: Hub Announcements Viewed With Caution" (States Newsroom) [3]

"How Clean Is "Clean Hydrogen"?" (Sierra) [4]