http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/clean-hydrogen-economy-s450.pngEvers, coalition will work to bring clean hydrogen investments to the Midwest, creating good-paying jobs, lowering emissions, and reducing long-term energy costs.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with six other Midwest governors, today announced the creation of the Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition, which will facilitate the development of a strong clean hydrogen economy in the Midwest. The coalition includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, and the states will work together to identify opportunities for advancing clean hydrogen production and use, which will expand economic opportunity, reduce harmful emissions, promote energy independence, and lower long-term energy costs. The partnership was solidified by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by governors from each state.

“We don’t have to choose between clean energy and clean air and creating good-paying jobs and a strong economy—we can do both,” said Gov. Evers. “As we work to implement our state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan, I’m proud to join this coalition of fellow Midwestern governors working together to accelerate clean hydrogen production, foster economic development, and lower costs, while reducing emissions across Wisconsin and our entire region.” 

Hydrogen is a colorless and odorless gas that can be used as a clean fuel source, releasing only water as byproduct when used in a fuel cell. When produced in a way that emits little to no greenhouse gases, the fuel is referred to as “clean hydrogen,” and it has the potential to be a key component of decarbonizing multiple sectors of Wisconsin’s economy, including transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries.

To help jump-start the production and use of clean hydrogen, the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) appropriated $8 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy to fund a set of Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, which are networks of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers, and connective infrastructure located in same region. This Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition will evaluate the possibility of pursuing a Hydrogen Hub application through the BIL. The Hydrogen Hub application period is expected to open in Fall 2022.

The federal Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden recently signed into law, also creates a tax credit for hydrogen production, and these new credits will make clean hydrogen production more competitive with other methods of hydrogen production, providing another pathway toward a strong, clean energy economy in Wisconsin.

In his first year in office, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #38, creating the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy and directing the Office to develop a plan to ensure all electricity consumed within the state is 100 percent carbon free by 2050. In April 2022, Gov. Evers announced the Office had released the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan to achieve this goal by identifying dozens of pathways and strategies to lower energy bills and prices at the pump for Wisconsin families, promote energy independence by reducing reliance on out-of-state energy sources, create an estimated more than 40,000 jobs by 2030, and invest in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies.