Amid concerns that funding for California’s hydrogen hub could be on the chopping block, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to preserve funding for the $1.2 billion project, which they described as a “strategic investment in energy innovation.” The letter was signed by 47 of the state’s 52 members of Congress, including four of its nine Republicans.
The California hub (#1 in table and map below), known as the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES), aims to leverage the state’s clean energy technology to produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass.
“The investment is already being used to bring together private industry, local governments, and community organizations to collaborate and build a secure, American-made energy future,” the letter said.
The letter comes days after 27 Democratic senators made a similar request to the DOE, which we detailed in this week’s Hydrogen Billboard report. The senators said in their letter to Energy Secretary Christopher Wright that Trump administration efforts to cut funding for the regional hydrogen hubs under development would be illegal, harmful to the public and energy consumers, and make the power grid less secure. They also cited concerns about potential cuts to other clean-energy initiatives, including carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), critical minerals and battery storage.
Combined, the seven regional hubs under development are slated to receive up to $7 billion in federal funding. All seven have received Phase 1 awards, which is for initial planning, permitting and analysis.
