9abbc8906d1ebc7e062ee599c675f45a237317bfby MATTHEW DALY and MARC LEVY Associated PressFILE - A 2021 Toyota Prius that runs on a hydrogen fuel cell sits on display at the Denver auto show on Sept. 17, 2021, at Elitch's Gardens in downtown Denver. The White House has selected the Philadelphia area and West Virginia for two regional hubs to produce and deliver hydrogen fuel, an important part of the Biden administration's clean energy plan, according to a person familiar with the plan.
"As a clean fuel, hydrogen complements the role played by other clean energy sources, like wind and solar, to help the U.S. reduce emissions in energy-intensive sectors of the economy: steel and cement production, heavy-duty transportation, and shipping,'' the White House said in a statement. Some environmentalists call hydrogen a false solution because it frequently relies on natural gas or other fossil fuels as feedstocks.
Biden has made Philadelphia a regular stop for both official and campaign events, and partners in the proposed Philadelphia-area hub have labor unions that are key Biden supporters. The West Virginia-based hub includes major Pittsburgh-based natural gas companies that are active in the region's prolific Marcellus Shale reservoir, including the parent company of the operator of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia.
"This is a big, big deal for ... Appalachia in particular, because these facilities are all based in areas where coal was king,'' said Perry Babb, president of KeyState, an owner and developer of the Pennsylvania site. The Minnesota-based Heartland hub, which includes projects in North and South Dakota, will receive $925 million as it seeks to decarbonize fertilizer used in agriculture and advance use of clean hydrogen in electric generation and for cold climate space heating. It also plans to offer equity ownership to tribal communities and local farmers.