Los Angeles – Last month, SoCalGas quietly announced it will not be moving forward with its problematic, infamous Angeles Link Project – the company’s plans to build pipelines to move hydrogen across Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

Food & Water Watch’s Los Angeles Organizing Manager Andrea Vega released the following statement: 

“SoCalGas’s decision to quietly shelve the Angeles Link Project demonstrates just how shaky the hydrogen economy really is – and how instead of relying on false promises from the fossil fuel industry, we need to be investing in renewable clean energy. Throughout the last few years, thousands of Angelenos, elected officials, environmental advocates and even the California Public Utilities Commission have expressed concerns with this project and the costs being passed onto ratepayers. This is a massive victory for Angelenos who don’t want dangerous hydrogen pipelines in their communities. Hopefully this serves as a sign to any utility agency in California that hydrogen is not as reliable as the industry claims.”

Hydrogen is too water intensive to be a viable climate solution, produces noxious pollutants at rates even higher than natural gas and ultimately is an industry scheme that will only entrench the fossil fuel industry and perpetuate the harm already being done to communities experiencing the brunt of the effects of climate change and pollution.