Oct. 13 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will travel to Philadelphia Friday to announce $7 billion in federal funds to boost clean-hydrogen production in several U.S. regions as part of an effort to improve the nation’s air quality amid the climate crisis.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will join Biden to announce the newest federal award, which will go to seven renewable energy hubs across the country, as well as another $40 billion in investments from the private sector to accelerate clean hydrogen efforts.
The latest project, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to produce more than three million metric tons of clean hydrogen per year while eliminating 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the White House said.
The hubs selected to receive funds include:
The Clean Hydrogen Hub for the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, is set to receive up to $750 million.
The Clean Hydrogen Hub for the Appalachian region, which includes West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania stands to get up to $925 million, while the Heartland Hydrogen Hub in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota is eligible to receive the same amount.
The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub of Washington, Oregon, Montana and the Midwest Hydrogen Hub of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan qualifies for up to $1 billion.
The HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub of Texas and the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems of California could receive up to $1.2 billion each.
All the hubs will be redeveloped with union labor, with employment programs being established at community colleges for training and apprenticeships that will lead to thousands of new full-time jobs, the White House said.
The bigger aim of the program seeks to strengthen U.S. energy independence, and could put the U.S. on track to achieve nearly one-third of Biden’s 2030 clean-hydrogen production goals.
The impact from the decarbonization improvements would be equivalent to removing 5.5 million gasoline-powered cars from the road, while reducing emissions in heavy-duty transportation industries like chemicals, steel, and cement, the White House said.
About two-thirds of the total project investment will go toward green hydrogen production at the various facilities, which are closely aligned with local governments to ensure communities benefit from ongoing climate preservation improvements.
Efforts to curtail the climate crisis have gained steam around the world in recent months, with hundreds of nations accelerating carbon reduction under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which set tangible goals to lower global warming levels over the next decade.
