Three years ago, hydrogen seemed poised for a long-awaited breakthrough. The Biden administration announced $7 billion in federal funding for seven hubs to produce the fuel across the country, and Pennsylvania was set to be a major player in the emerging industry.
Hydrogen has long been heralded as a potential skeleton key to emission reductions: able to power commuter vehicles and mass transportation, as well as hard-to-decarbonize industries like shipping and steel production.
During a 2023 speech at Philadelphia’s Tioga Terminal, President Joe Biden assured the crowd that Pennsylvania’s two hubs — the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub and the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, commonly known as MACH2 and ARCH2 — would be transformational. The hubs would connect a vast network of hydrogen producers, users, and researchers across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Ohio. They were backed by a bipartisan coalition and designed to bring economic opportunity to red states, with support in Pennsylvania from both Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Sen. Dave McCormick (R). In 2023, Shapiro’s office said the hubs would “ensure Pennsylvania continues to be an energy leader for decades to come.”
MACH 2 promised to bring over 20 , 000 jobs to the Delaware Valley region alone and lead the way in green hydrogen, produced entirely from clean energy, with a $ 750 million award from the Department of Energy. ARCH 2 would receive $ 925 million to manufacture blue hydrogen, produced via fossil fuels, with emissions sequestered by carbon-capture technology.
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