Midwest hydrogen hub ‘in limbo’ after Trump executive order
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A federally designated Midwest hub that seeks to accelerate clean hydrogen production is on hold, according to our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana.
The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, was selected in 2023 to receive up to $1 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy to produce so-called blue hydrogen at or near the BP refinery in the northwest Indiana city of Whiting.
However, Trump signed an executive order, “Unleashing American Energy,” on Jan. 20, that paused the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes funding for the hydrogen hub.
Randy Palmateer, business manager for the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, told The Times that the project is now in doubt.
“It’s in limbo,” Palmateer said. “Hopefully, it eventually goes forward. It will put a lot of people to work. It will be a big project for us.”
MachH2 received $22.2 million in initial federal funding last November for the project’s first phase, which would support infrastructure building and workforce program development.
A spokesperson for BP told the publication there were not updates on the project.
Congressman Frank Mrvan, D-IN, said in a statement that he looks forward to working with the Trump administration and his Congressional colleagues to ensure that infrastructure projects impacting northwest Indiana are implemented.
“Notably, I continue to believe that the hydrogen hub project at the BP facility in Whiting will undoubtedly create new good-paying jobs and generate new economic activity in our region for years to come,” Mrvan said. “As a new member of the House Appropriations Committee, including being on the subcommittee that supports programs through the Department of Energy, I will do my utmost to see that the full potential of the hydrogen hub project is realized as soon as possible.”
Mrvan said, if allowed to move forward, the hydrogen hub project could generate between $5 billion and $8 billion in private investment.