Hydrogen Hubs Will Fuel Economic Growth, Especially In Coal Country – Forbes.
When President Biden got elected, he promised to help reinvent coal country. And he is fulfilling his promises by facilitating the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, which will create 21,000 jobs and attract $925 million in public investment. EQTEQT +0.2% Corporation, Battelle, and GTI Energy are the private partners participating in the hub, stretching from West Virginia to Ohio to Pennsylvania.
Altogether, the Biden Administration is creating seven hydrogen hubs across 16 states, involving the Pacific Northwest, the Gulf Coast, the Midwest, and the East Coast. The federal government is planting about $10 billion in seed money — distributed over time. But the hubs will mature into production and distribution facilities, and private enterprises will also invest another $40 billion. That includes AmazonAMZN +2.4%, Exxon Mobil and ChevronCVX +0.9% Corp.
Joe Manchin, D-WV, Senate Energy and Commerce Chair, said:
West Virginia will be on the leading edge of building out the new hydrogen market while bringing good paying jobs and new economic opportunity to the state.
“At least 3,000 permanent jobs will land in coal counties, ranging from engineers to artisans. That’s on top of the positions created by manufacturers such as Sparkz Inc. and Form Energy that settled in the state due to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Once the hydrogen hubs are in full swing, they will produce 10 million metric tons by 2030, and 50 million by 2050, lowering emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as steel and cement. Those hubs could reduce CO2 levels by 25 million metric tons — equal to removing 5.5 million gasoline-powered cars.
The Build Back Better law passed in 2021 is responsible for the hydrogen hubs — supported by West Virginia Senators Manchin, Shelly Moore Capito, and Governor Jim Justice. The state’s two congressional lawmakers — Reps Alex Mooney and Carol Miller — opposed it to curry favor from the former president, who is now under multiple felony indictments. As a result, Governor Justice leads Mooney 62% to 23% in the Republican race for the U.S. Senate. If Manchin runs for re-election, he also beats Mooney, under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics.
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Hydrogen Hubs Will Fuel Economic Growth, Especially In Coal Country – Forbes. source