President Joe Biden came to the Philadelphia waterfront Friday to announce a federal $7 billion investment in hydrogen hubs, and that Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware are among the awardees.
By Denise Clay-Murray
ABOVE PHOTO: President Joe Biden arrives to speak at Tioga Marine Terminal, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Philadelphia.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
As part of the infrastructure bill signed in 2021, President Joe Biden pledged to finance a green energy industry designed to move America further away from fossil fuels and combat the problems brought on by climate change.
On Friday, President Biden came to Philadelphia’s PhilaPort Tioga Marine terminal on Delaware Avenue to announce how he intends to make good on his promise by investing $7 billion in federal funds in 16 hydrogen hubs designed to produce hydrogen fuel that could be used in a variety of ways including powering plants that make things like steel.
Pennsylvania is a part of two of these hubs: the Appalachian Hub, which includes West Virginia, and Ohio, and the Mid-Atlantic Hub, which includes New Jersey and Delaware.
The Mid-Atlantic Hub, which will have a base at the PhilaPort Tioga Terminal, received $750 million and will be using electrolysis, splitting water molecules through the use of wind, solar and nuclear power.
Joined by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and a host of federal, state and local dignitaries, Biden spoke about how important this, and the other 15 hubs will be not just to the environment, but also to the economy of places like Appalachia and Philadelphia.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In a city described as the poorest city of its size in the nation, an influx of jobs like the ones promised through these hydrogen hubs can make a big difference, Biden said.
“And by the way, here, it’s going to create 20,800 jobs — 20,800 jobs here in this hub — plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, laborers, and so much more,” he said. “Here, in the Mid-Atlantic hub, every single one of these projects will use project labor agreements. That’s another way of saying “union.”
For Gov. Josh Shapiro, having hubs on both ends of his state was great news.
“Pennsylvania is positioning itself as the leader of our country’s clean energy future and creating thousands of new, good-paying union jobs,” he said. “Since my campaign for governor, I have been a strong supporter of this investment in our Commonwealth and my administration has worked closely with organized labor, industry partners, and our neighboring states to make Pennsylvania the only state in the country to secure two regional clean hydrogen hubs. I thank President Biden for his belief in Pennsylvania and Senators [Bob] Casey and [John] Fetterman for their leadership in securing this win for our Commonwealth.”
It’s also a win for the unions, said Ryan Boyer, president of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. The unions have a trained workforce that’s ready to do the job, he said.
There will also be opportunities for people to acquire the skills needed to participate in these hubs at places like Cheyney University, one of the places that will be providing the training, Biden said.
Leave a Comment