Article Summary –
The Department of Energy will invest up to $1 billion into the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, a consortium comprising Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois among others. The funds will be used to produce hydrogen power with aims to reduce carbon emissions, and the hub is expected to create 13,600 jobs. The investment is part of the $7 billion awarded by the Department of Energy to establish seven hydrogen hubs across sixteen states, in alignment with President Joe Biden’s Justice40 initiative and the Investing in America agenda.
Midwest Clean Hydrogen Alliance Receives Federal Investment
The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, which includes Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, has been selected for federal support, the Department of Energy announced on Oct. 13.
The consortium will utilize the investment to produce hydrogen power with natural gas and nuclear energy, create hydrogen-based aviation fuel, power heavy-duty transportation, and manufacture steel and glass with a focus on reducing carbon emissions.
Hydrogen power is a clean energy source that releases fewer carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels.
The alliance projects the hub to create 13,600 regional jobs, with 12,100 in infrastructure construction and 1,500 permanent positions post-construction. The Department of Energy will contribute up to $1 billion to this initiative, sourced from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
$7 Billion Investment for Hydrogen Hubs Across Sixteen States
The Department of Energy invested $7 billion to establish seven hydrogen hubs across sixteen states as part of Biden’s Investing in America agenda, adhering to his Justice40 initiative. President Biden commented on the investment strategy saying, “We grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lauded the investment in a statement, saying it facilitates innovation and boosts the state’s competitiveness in the clean energy transition.
Conversely, Republican Rep. Lisa McClain opposed the bill, stating on Twitter that the infrastructure bill was filled with wasteful spending. Fact-checking site Politifact disputed her claim, rating it as false and clarifying that the bill is almost entirely allocated for infrastructure spending.
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