Critic slams Biden's celebration of endlessly dirty possibilities

In a move hailed as a landmark achievement of the Biden administration's "Investing in America agenda," the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a $7 billion investment to launch seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) across the nation.

This initiative aims to accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of low-cost, clean hydrogen, a crucial component in achieving President Biden's climate and energy security goals.

However, critics argue that the political establishment is celebrating what they call "endlessly dirty possibilities."

Lisa McCormick, a progressive critic of President Joe Biden, expressed skepticism, stating, "We know how to fight climate change, and it doesn’t involve expensive, polluting technologies backed by Big Oil and Wall Street. Instead, we need bold plans to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with clean, renewable energy."

The H2Hub program, a key pillar of Bidenomics, involves distributing $7 billion to at least six proposals submitted by state or regional coalitions. The selected states include West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Despite proponents proclaiming the H2Hub program as central to a "low-carbon" future, McCormick argues that many problems are being ignored or concealed, ranging from health and safety risks to what she perceives as "hydrogen's dubious climate credentials."

One of the main contentions raised by McCormick is the inclusion of natural gas in the hydrogen production process. DOE's program requires at least one hub to use natural gas, which leads to the production of industry-branded "blue hydrogen."

McCormick dismissed this approach, saying, "Carbon capture has never worked reliably or at scale, and even if this fairy tale did deliver, it wouldn’t be good news because lifecycle emissions of 'blue hydrogen' are worse for the climate than burning coal."

McCormick also argued that dirty energy companies are exploiting hydrogen development and H2Hub proposals to greenwash and create new markets for fracked gas.

"Facing blowback from broken promises and decades of generating dangerous pollution, dirty energy companies are now using hydrogen to greenwash and create new markets for fracked gas," said McCormick. "H2Hubs will be expensive and resource-hungry, fleecing taxpayers while doubling down on dangerous pollution. By worsening the climate crisis, they’ll threaten our food and water, our economy and health, and our survival."

The New Jersey environmentalist noted that when Pennsylvania enacted $1 billion in tax credits for facilities joining an H2Hub, the law allowed companies to claim gas credits for two decades, leading her to question the sincerity of the transition to renewable hydrogen.

"We are tired of greenwashing, half-measures, and corporate lies," said McCormick. "There is a world of difference between using hydrogen or using shale gas to manufacture at facilities that are part of a U.S. Department of Energy-funded 'Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub.' For most hydrogen uses there are cheaper, cleaner, and more energy-efficient alternatives, particularly electrification or direct renewable energy use. Meanwhile fracked gas is just more fossil fuel."

The H2Hub grants, covering at most 50% of a project's cost, leave the remaining financial burden on private companies and other public sources, including taxpayers. Higher taxes and utility rates could cost households significantly, with estimates suggesting at least $1,000 a year for Pittsburgh households if a hub were established in Western Pennsylvania.

As the DOE prepares to announce H2Hub grant recipients later this year, opponents emphasize the risks associated with a massive buildout of questionable technology. With projects already in motion across the country, the debate over hydrogen hubs is poised to intensify, pitting environmental concerns against economic and energy security goals.

The battle over hydrogen hubs represents a larger struggle for the nation's energy and environmental future, which McCormick said is "another fight where the Biden administration in on the wrong side."

McCormick has previously called for the prosecution of fossil fuel executives responsible for the climate crisis, the nationalization of oil companies, and for using their resources to fund a transition to renewable energy sources.