Gov Whitmer Signs Agreement to Create the Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition

Gov. Whitmer Signs Agreement to Create the Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition

Coalition will work together to bring clean hydrogen investments to the Midwest, create good-paying jobs, improve public health, and clear a path to carbon-free transportation, agriculture, industry sectors

(LANSING, Mich. - Sept. 19, 2022) - Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition, a bipartisan partnership between Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to accelerate the development of a robust clean hydrogen economy in the Midwest. The coalition will provide a regional framework for establishing a strong clean hydrogen market that will create good-paying jobs, promote zero-carbon energy, and improve public health. 

“The Midwest will continue leading the future of mobility and energy innovation and has enormous potential for transformative hydrogen investments,” said Governor Whitmer. “The Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition that launched today will accelerate the development of a robust clean hydrogen economy in the Midwest, creating good-paying jobs, cleaning the air, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Michigan and beyond. It will empower us to compete for transformational energy projects and bring big investments to the Midwest. Let’s keep working together to get it done.”

Clean hydrogen—hydrogen production with little to no greenhouse gas emissions—can be a key component of decarbonizing the transportation, agriculture, and industrial sectors. To jump-start the production and use of clean hydrogen, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) appropriated $8 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund a set of Clean Hydrogen Hubs, which are networks of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers, and connective infrastructure located in proximity.

“We have to position Michigan as a leader in climate action, and today’s commitment to clean hydrogen energy will not only create jobs but will improve health outcomes in communities across the state,” said Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Michigan’s assets are well-suited for a clean hydrogen economy, and I look forward to helping further our innovation and policy in this space.”

The Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden recently signed into law, creates a tax credit for hydrogen production. These credits will make clean hydrogen production competitive with other methods of production, providing a path to sustainability clean hydrogen end uses, such as transportation, refining, chemical production, and agricultural products like ammonia.

“The Midwest can build flourishing industrial, agricultural, and transportation sectors without air pollution through widespread deployment of clean hydrogen fuels,” said Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s Chief Infrastructure Officer. “The Midwest governors coming together to form the Midwestern Hydrogen Coalition have accelerated progress toward that future, leveraging each participating states’ unique assets—from shared infrastructure and accelerated technology to a robust workforce of engineers and researchers—to advance the Midwest’s growing hydrogen market ecosystem.”

Multiple midwestern industrial and university-led groups are expected to compete for DOE funding for hydrogen projects. The Midwest Hydrogen Coalition will work with them to make their projects more competitive through collaboration on policy development, permitting and asset planning.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN INFRASTRUCTURE OFFICE

The Michigan Infrastructure Office (MIO) is responsible for organizing and executing Governor Whitmer’s vision for infrastructure, coordinating across state government, marshaling resources, and partnering with local officials, federal partners, and outside stakeholders to ensure resources sent to Michigan through BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), are used efficiently and effectively.