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.
To learn more about the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, please click here.
