hydrogen hubs

By Veronica Serrano - Texas Climate Jobs Project, October 11, 2023

TEXAS UNIONS, FAITH COMMUNITY CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY AND LABOR STANDARDS IN HYDROGEN ENERGY PLANNING

Department of Energy expected to announce next steps for $8 billion program on Friday

Union members and community activists took part in a banner drop to bring attention to lack of transparency, commitment to strong labor standards around a planned hydrogen hub in the Houston area 

Action follows concerns raised by Texas congressional delegation

Houston, TX — Union members and community activists gathered near the outside of the Hydrogen North America conference and dropped a 15-foot banner from a Houston overpass and picketed, demanding transparency and a commitment now to strong labor standards from HyVelocity Hub planners.

The HyVelocity Hub is applying for taxpayer dollars to build a clean hydrogen hub in the Gulf as part of the Department of Energy’s $8 billion Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub program. HyVelocity states its vision for a Texas hydrogen economy “could add an estimated $100 billion to Texas’ GDP.”

“The HyVelocity Hub is seeking taxpayer assistance for this project, and we have a collective responsibility to ensure that our dollars result in high-paying jobs performed by skilled union workers, and that safety is at the forefront,” said Bo Delp, executive director of Texas Climate Jobs Project. 

By Center for Biological Diversity - Common Dreams, August 22, 2023

A nationwide coalition of more than 180 conservation, Indigenous, faith, labor and social justice organizations urged the Biden administration today to scrap plans to rapidly expand investment in the production and use of hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy is championing hydrogen as a supposed climate solution despite the heavy reliance of fossil fuels in its production.

“Calling hydrogen clean energy is a scam to prop up the oil and gas industry,” said Silas Grant, a campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Biden administration’s plans to expand this dirty energy will only increase oil and gas extraction at a time when the climate emergency demands the opposite. We need investment in affordable, reliable, community-supported renewable energy like wind and solar.”

In its letter to the Department of Energy, the coalition said a large-scale buildout of hydrogen infrastructure will intensify the climate emergency by emitting greenhouse gases and increase pollution in frontline communities. Ninety-five percent of hydrogen produced today is made from fossil fuels, and hydrogen production emits even more smog-causing nitrogen oxide when combusted than methane, threatening public health.