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With the federal government preparing to pour money into new regional production hubs and other incentives, the hydrogen industry is positioning itself for takeoff.
But hydrogen technology still hasn’t proven itself to be financially viable, or necessarily all that clean. Hydrogen doesn’t produce greenhouse gas emissions when burned, but making the fuel requires lots of — potentially dirty — energy. Most of it today is made with natural gas. A clean alternative involves a process using water and renewable electricity, but some want to keep using natural gas but with carbon capture — another technology still unproven on a larger scale.
Climate advocates want to keep hydrogen made with fossil fuels from being lumped in with cleaner sources, and say it shouldn’t qualify for forthcoming federal subsidies. Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies and other blue hydrogen backers have launched a federal lobbying blitz in hopes of getting on the Biden administration’s good side, the Energy News Network’s collaboration with OpenSecrets reveals.
Just a few dozen companies and organizations were lobbying the federal government regarding hydrogen when President Biden was elected in late 2020, Jimmy Cloutier of OpenSecrets reports. Now, that number is more than 200, including at least 32 oil and gas producers.
That influence could all have an impact on forthcoming rules governing where federal hydrogen incentives will go, which are expected before the year ends.
Read more from the Energy News Network and OpenSecrets here.
More clean energy news
🇺🇲 IRA’s foreign influence: While the Inflation Reduction Act continues to rankle Republican lawmakers, foreign leaders say its “green patriotism” and incentives for domestic clean energy manufacturing provide a blueprint for climate plans they can sell across the political spectrum. (New York Times, Politico)
🔌 EV chargers’ reliability problem: Today’s electric vehicle charging stations largely fall below reliability standards the federal government is requiring they meet before they can access $5 billion in new funding. (Canary Media)
🔋 What’s next for batteries: As more renewables are added to the power grid, researchers are exploring new battery technologies with longer storage durations and more widely available materials than lithium-ion batteries. (Utility Dive)
⚡ Electrification diet: A planning process known as “watt dieting” could enable many homeowners to switch to fully electric appliances without a costly panel upgrade. (Canary Media)
📰 Fake news, fossil fuel edition: At least seven major news outlets create and publish misleading advertisements for fossil fuel companies intended to look like credible editorial content, an analysis finds. (Intercept)
🏭 Stopping smog: A new federal air pollution rule cut smog-forming emissions 18% in 10 states this past summer, and would’ve had a bigger impact if legal challenges hadn’t stopped its implementation in 12 other states. (Grist)
Plus: What happened at COP28
The COP28 climate summit ended yesterday, after disagreements sent negotiations into overtime. Here’s how the U.S. got involved in the last week.
- The COP28 climate summit ends with the first-ever global agreement to begin “transitioning away from fossil fuels,” though some leaders acknowledge the pact is nonbinding and should’ve been reached years before. (Politico)
- The U.S. pledged $3 billion to help developing nations adapt to climate change, but opted out of a coalition aiming to end subsidies for fossil fuels. (CNN, Bloomberg)
- A global focus on fighting inflation is discouraging wealthy countries from sending climate aid where it’s needed most, officials at COP28 say. (New York Times)
- Former vice president Al Gore criticized the appointment of an oil CEO to head the COP28 climate conference, but said it could be a “blessing in disguise” that “has awakened a lot of people to how absurd the situation is.” (CNN)
- More than 2,400 fossil fuel lobbyists joined COP28 this year, a record number according to climate advocates. (Grist)
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