This week, news broke that the Department of Energy cancelled funding for California’s proposed hydrogen hub, also known as ARCHES, among other projects. 

Groups who have opposed ARCHES moving forward released the following statements: 

“California’s hydrogen hub was always an industry scheme that would have entrenched the fossil fuel industry and put our precious water resources at risk,” said Andrea Vega, Southern California Senior Organizer. “Now, with our state budget in crisis and the loss of federal funding, ARCHES absolutely should not move forward in any capacity, and Californians definitely shouldn’t be stuck with the bill.”

“According to a statement made last week by the CEO of California Environmental Voters, Mary Creasman, two-thirds of California’s energy use is currently supplied by renewable energy sources. This is the path that we must proceed on in California – genuine renewable energy, which is working! We should not be choosing a path relying on highly experimental Hydrogen, which still requires a significant amount of fossil gas to work effectively and has too many health and safety impacts to consider,” stated Marcia Hanscom, Community Organizer for Coastal Lands Action Network (CLAN).

“The risk of a hydrogen pipeline exploding with fire is a big risk with negative impacts, including risk to human safety, water pollution, air pollution and damage to wildlife and important plant populations which makes for loss of life and money. Such a risk fails as viable if a genuine economic cost-benefit analysis were to be completed,” stated Environmental Biological Scientist, Robert ‘Roy’ van de Hoek, of Defend Ballona Wetlands and Board Member of Americans for Democratic Action/SoCal.

“While we are troubled to see yet another example of the weaponization of federal resources to exact revenge on the President’s perceived political enemies, we are glad that ARCHES funding was canceled, given that it was an ill-conceived, dangerous, and costly handout for polluting fossil fuel companies. We know that the pathway to a clean energy future is rooted in resilient, community-owned, renewable energy, not another greenwashed gas. The cancellation of this funding presents an opportunity for the state of California to reimagine an equitable, affordable, and sustainable pathway to a future without fossil fuels, which is work that we are excited to continue doing along with our statewide partners,” said Alex Jasset, Director of Energy Justice at Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles.

Despite claims that this project would have provided a clean source of energy, hydrogen is not – and was never – the answer. For one, hydrogen is incredibly water intensive (which is particularly dangerous in a place like California), produces noxious pollutants at rates even higher than natural gas. Further, it entrenches the fossil fuel industry and will perpetuate the harm already being done to communities experiencing the brunt of the effects of climate change and pollution.