September 28, 2022
West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition Supports Creation of Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman
of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Shelley Moore Capito
(R-WV), Representative David McKinley (R-WV) and Governor Jim Justice (R-WV)
announced their support for the new Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub,
comprised of over 40 entities.
“West
Virginia has a long history of powering our great nation, and the creation of
the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub is another significant opportunity
for West Virginians to power our future and bring thousands of jobs to the
region,” said Chairman Manchin. “This collaborative effort to bring a
hydrogen hub to Appalachia is great news that will benefit not only West
Virginia, but our entire region. I was proud to lead the bipartisan
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that made this hub possible, and I’m
thrilled we have the opportunity to become the new home of hydrogen, right here
in the Mountain State.”
“As
I was helping craft and negotiate the bipartisan
infrastructure law
last year, the creation of a hydrogen hub in West Virginia was exactly the type
of impact that I knew we could create,” Senator Capito said. “Since
then, our West Virginia
Hydrogen Hub Coalition has been working hard to connect energy and various
industry leaders across our state, and bring partners to the table who can help
make this initiative a reality. Today’s MOU signing is something to celebrate,
and positions West Virginia, and all of Appalachia, well to host a hydrogen hub
and continue to be a leader in energy production for our country. I am excited
to see progress and momentum grow behind this project and continue our great
tradition of energy generation by creating a hydrogen based economy here in the
Mountain State.”
“West
Virginia and the Appalachian region is an ideal location for a hub to promote
the development of next-generation hydrogen technologies. Our region has the
natural gas, pipeline infrastructure, storage, and proximity to end-users to be
a center for innovation. I’m excited that our effort to bring together
stakeholders is gaining momentum,” said Representative McKinley.
“West
Virginia, once again, is ready to lead the nation,” Governor Justice said.
“We are ready to be part of the energy solution for the United States and power
the future through this collaboration and the continued development of new
energy sources. With our location and history of manufacturing and the way the
world is seeing all the opportunity in West Virginia, we are uniquely qualified
to make this a reality.”
A
timeline of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition’s work is available below:
- On July 28th, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito and Governor Justice convened a robust group of energy industry leaders for a morning of panel discussions and presentations.
- On April 28th, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice welcomed bipartisan members of West Virginia’s legislative leadership to the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition, including Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, President of the Senate Craig Blair, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin and House Minority Leader Doug Skaff.
- On March 21st, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice submitted the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition’s official response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) first step in the process to select winning hydrogen hubs funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
- On February 25th, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice convened the initial organizing meeting of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition.
- On February 15th, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice announced the launch of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition to collaborate and support a strong West Virginia candidate to be chosen to develop a hydrogen hub, funded through $9.5 billion allocated to the U.S. Department of Energy by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The bipartisan Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act included $9.5 billion for hydrogen, including $8
billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that will jumpstart the production,
transport, and use of clean hydrogen across the U.S. economy; $1 billion for a
Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to reduce costs of hydrogen produced from
clean electricity; and $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and
Recycling initiatives to support equipment manufacturing and strong domestic
supply chains. The legislation also requires one hub be located in Appalachia
as the largest natural gas producing region.
To
learn more about hydrogen hubs, please click here.
Next Article Previous Article
