Joe Biden visited Philly to announce funding for ‘transformational’ hydrogen energy projects
In the Philadelphia region, news of a federal investment in a Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub was met with excitement from Democratic politicians and labor leaders who said it would create new jobs.
President Joe Biden visited Philadelphia on Friday to announce that the region will receive $750 million in federal funding to build a hydrogen energy network — one of seven hydrogen projects nationwide that the White House announced.
The projects will generate hydrogen fuel, which Biden said will be transformational in creating union jobs, boosting U.S. energy security, and helping the nation meet its net-zero goals for greenhouse gas emissions.
Biden touted his administration’s $7 billion total investment during a stop at the Tioga Marine Terminal in Port Richmond, where he also spoke about his economic agenda and investments in American manufacturing.
» READ MORE: What is a hydrogen hub?
“I came to office determined to get this country up again,” Biden said, “so we could face the existential threat of climate and still grow. Today’s announcement is all part of a bigger vision to do just that.”
The visit was the president’s eighth trip to Philadelphia this year. Pennsylvania, a critical swing state, is seen as a priority in Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign.
In the Philadelphia region, news of a federal investment in hydrogen energy for a Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, or MACH2, was met with excitement from Democratic politicians and labor leaders. Some environmental groups, meanwhile, expressed reservations.
Supplemented with funds from the 2021 infrastructure bill championed by Biden, the Philadelphia-based hydrogen hub will be made up of 17 sites in Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Pennsylvania will be the only state to have two hubs, with an Appalachian hub planned for Southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Philly region competed with 80 others to win hydrogen hub funding
Philadelphia was one of 80 areas vying for the administration’s funding. Officials applied to be part of the hydrogen network in November 2022, volunteering Philadelphia to serve as the center for production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen throughout the region.
The hub will create a network of hydrogen providers, officials tied to the project said, and will help the region replace fossil fuel usage — including coal and oil — with cleaner sources.
Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) called it a “game changer” for the region, one that would usher in union jobs, economic growth, and energy innovation while including local partners such as SEPTA, Monroe Energy, Philadelphia Gas Works, the University of Pennsylvania, Cheyney University, and more.
“The word [Biden] used was transformational,” Casey told The Inquirer following the president’s remarks. “That’s what this is gonna be for the future. It means that we can use the best workforce in the world, in Pennsylvania.”
Biden said hydrogen can power homes and charge electric vehicles, and the projects will help toward his goal of achieving a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035, and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
He told the Port Richmond crowd that his administration’s massive investment would in turn attract private investments, noting that over $40 billion had already been promised for hydrogen hubs from the private sector — $2.2 billion for the Philly-region project alone.
Biden also leaned heavily into the potential for hydrogen investments to create new middle-class and union jobs.
“The middle class built America, unions built the middle class,” Biden said. “It’s especially true when it comes to clean energy and manufacturing.”
Energy experts consider hydrogen a “clean” fuel because it does not directly generate greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the source of energy that produces the hydrogen itself can produce such emissions, leading some environmental advocates to approach the proposal’s promises with skepticism.
Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, said Friday that the Biden administration’s emphasis on hydrogen hubs is a “false solution” that will increase greenhouse gas emissions and pollution because hydrogen hubs use fracked fossil fuel gas to power them, perpetuating a need for more natural gas drilling.
The riverkeeper called Biden’s move an “act of betrayal” to a region he calls home, saying that the new hub requires a “huge infrastructure with an enormous environmental footprint” that would consume large amounts of energy and water, and potentially contribute to worsening air quality.
Casey, responding to concerns about fracking, said natural gas “has to be a part of the equation.”
“We can’t get to that clean energy future without it,” Casey said. “But I think eventually, we’re going to have not just the resources, but we’re gonna have the innovation and the know-how to get to that next step — which is a clean energy future that I think renewables and other sources of energy are going to allow us to get to.”
Meanwhile, David Masur, the executive director of PennEnvironment, said he is skeptical of the MACH2 plan because he’s seen few details about how the hub would work and whether hydrogen is even necessary if it’s going to be produced using renewable energy resources.
“There’s been very little information, there’s been no public information or input,” Masur said. “It’s just not a very good way to show how we’re going to spend billions of taxpayer dollars that could have potential environmental impact.”
Political leaders, however, focused on the economic impact and environmental benefits of the project. Gov. Josh Shapiro, speaking at Friday’s event, touted the fact that Pennsylvania will have two hydrogen hubs.
“Pennsylvania is positioning itself as the leader of our country’s clean energy future and creating thousands of new, good-paying union jobs,” he said.
Ryan Boyer, president of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council, said “we have a well-trained, well-prepared union workforce ready to go.”
And U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who traveled to Philadelphia with Biden on Friday, said hydrogen is critical to the country’s shift toward clean energy.
“Unlocking the full potential of hydrogen — a versatile fuel that can be made from almost any energy resource in virtually every part of the country — is crucial to achieving President Biden’s goal of American industry powered by American clean energy, ensuring less volatility and more affordable clean energy options for American families and businesses,” she said.