LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Metropolis Council President Nury Martinez and Councilman Mitch O’Farrell launched a movement Friday to have town submit a proposal to the U.S. Division of Power to have the Los Angeles space be thought-about for a regional “Inexperienced Hydrogen Hub” to energy hard-to-electrify industries with renewable vitality.
The movement comes after the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Invoice, handed final 12 months, included $8 billion for a minimum of 4 regional Hydrogen Hubs throughout the U.S. that can be overseen by the U.S. Division of Power.
“The DOE is on the lookout for various regional Hydrogen Hubs that target various kinds of hydrogen manufacturing, finish makes use of, job creations and improvements,” the movement acknowledged. “Primarily based on the present infrastructure, our huge renewable vitality portfolio, our expert labor pressure, our famend college system, important transportation corridors, the most important municipally owned utility within the nation and the busiest container port in North America, the larger Los Angeles Metropolitan Space is properly suited to be a frontrunner on this effort.”
Whereas the federal authorities is in search of Hydrogen Hubs, Los Angeles is working to transition to a 100% renewable vitality grid by 2035. The movement notes that hydrogen vitality might additionally additional the Port of Los Angeles’ objectives of utilizing 100% zero emission expertise in its operations.
“Inexperienced hydrogen distribution in and across the port complicated might speed up trade adoption of fresh gear and restrict air air pollution emissions,” the movement stated.
Nonetheless, environmental safety activists with Meals & Water Watch Los Angeles introduced their opposition to the movement Friday afternoon, calling hydrogen “a smokescreen for fossil gas growth within the guise of fresh vitality.”
Whereas the council members’ movement requires its potential hub to supply “inexperienced hydrogen,” which is created utilizing electrolysis of water, one other sort of hydrogen, known as “blue hydrogen,” is produced by means of pure fuel in a course of that emits methane and carbon dioxide.
Meals & Water Watch Los Angeles is against inexperienced hydrogen, as properly, noting that it requires 9 kilograms of water for each 1 kilogram of hydrogen produced, and the Los Angeles space is within the midst of a mega-drought {that a} current UCLA research discovered to be the worst in 1,200 years.
“Hydrogen is being utilized by fossil gas pursuits to take care of their harmful pipeline and vitality infrastructure, propping up a system of soiled fossil fuels like fracked fuel. Local weather justice advocates have made it crystal clear that hydrogen doesn’t belong at L.A.’s energy crops and hydrogen with no safeguards towards fossil gas growth or biofuels is unacceptable,” Meals & Water Watch Los Angeles Senior Organizer Jasmin Vargas stated.
“This movement is a betrayal of Los Angeles communities who deserve equitable, accessible vitality options and never pricey, energy-intensive, water-intensive scams like this ‘inexperienced’ hydrogen proposal.”
The movement launched Friday additionally requires town to make sure that the inexperienced hydrogen is made solely from renewable sources, and for researchers to guage the usage of inexperienced hydrogen to make sure it doesn’t have hostile impacts on the setting or frontline communities.
The movement would additionally:
— Have the DWP and the Port of Los Angeles collaborate with the Local weather Emergency Mobilization Workplace as an effort to keep away from impression on frontline communities if a federal grant utility is profitable
— Have the DWP work with the Bureau of Sanitation and the Port of Los Angeles to report back to the Metropolis Council on suggestions on the utilization of superior handled water from the Bureau of Sanitation’s Superior Water Purification Facility on the Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant to produce water for the initiatives if town’s utility is profitable
— Have the Bureau of Sanitation, the DWP and the Port of Los Angeles report on monitoring nitrogen oxide and different emissions if the appliance is profitable