PA Environment Digest Blog: Briefing By US Dept. Of Energy On Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Previewing Future Engagement Opportunities Featured Comments Expressing Concerns About The Project

On August 16, the US Department of Energy held a virtual briefing with representatives of the Appalachian Regional Hydrogen Hub Project to preview future engagement opportunities but failed to address concerns and questions raised by attendees, according to the Ohio River Valley Institute.

In the latest show of regional opposition, comments largely voicing concerns with the Appalachian hydrogen hub overshadowed a briefing

Prior ARCH2 listening sessions hosted in April and May by the Department of Energy were similarly flooded with community concerns.

The Appalachian Regional Hydrogen Hub covers West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio and involves the development of hydrogen projects based on natural gas.

A second hub project-- Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub-- involves Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

The briefing included discussion of the public engagement processes planned during the development of the hydrogen hub.

However, little attention was paid to the health and safety concerns raised by the public and project backers continued to defer to later engagement opportunities while failing to acknowledge that little of the feedback solicited to date resulted in substantive changes to the project.

Worse, according to the Ohio River Basin Institute, the overtures extended to the public reflected a poor understanding of its concerns.

For example, the Department of Energy championed CNX’s Radical Transparency initiative as an example of the hydrogen hub’s compliance with the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 initiative, eliding the fact that CNX has been issued 80 new or continuing notices of violation since launching that effort and choosing to rely on CNX’s self-reported data in lieu of the well-established body of research linking fracking to a variety of health impacts.

[On December 15, CNX Resources announced it ended its involvement in an anchor project in the ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub. Read more here.]

Earlier this year, the Ohio River Valley Institute delivered a letter to the Department on behalf of 54 Appalachian organizations and community groups calling for the suspension of ARCH2, citing an extreme lack of transparency and meaningful community engagement during project negotiations.

On July 31, the Department of Energy awarded $30 million to ARCH2, the first of four tranches of the $925 million earmarked for the Appalachian hydrogen.

Tom Torres, Hydrogen Program Director at the Ohio River Valley Institute issued this response--

“Over the past year, concerned residents have been told their feedback is valuable and will be taken into consideration. Today’s briefing and the recent funding award were a test to show the public whether these concerns would be acted upon.

“By continuing to advance this project in the face of widespread opposition, they failed that test. Instead, what the public heard today is that the backers of ARCH2 are committed to bearing witness to suffering but will take no steps to address it.”

According to research from the Ohio River Valley Institute, blue hydrogen hub development threatens to raise costs for families and prolong the region’s reliance on the faltering natural gas industry, which has failed to produce job and income growth in the largest gas-producing counties in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays.

Visit the Ohio River Valley Institute website for more information.

NewsClips:

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Officials Ignore Most Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Worries

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Officials Promise Greater Transparency For Hydrogen Projects Now That It Has US DOE Approval

Resource Links:

-- CNX Ends Coordination On West Virginia Adams Fork Ammonia Energy Project, Anchor Of ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Application [PaEN]

-- CNX: 'Natural Gas Development Is Safe And Poses No Public Health Risks,' Based On CNX Air Quality Monitoring From 14 Sites, Most For Just 4 To 24 Weeks [PaEN]

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: The Peril, Politics And Price Of Shale Gas Development, Fracking Waste - By Eric de Place And Julia Stone

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 10 to 16 - Failure To File Critical Annual Report Violations Sent To Owners Of 5,300+ Conventional Wells; Failure To Fix Leaking Wells [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 17 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 17 PA Bulletin [PaEN]