With jobs and the climate on the line, California’s hydrogen hub must be protected | Opinion
As California races toward its climate goal of a carbon-neutral economy by 2045, some think electrification is the only solution.
Although electrification may be an important tool, there will always also be a role for gas molecules, which ensure a safe and reliable grid that keeps lights on, families warm and fed and industry prospering.
The Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), AFL-CIO, Local 483 — the collective bargaining unit for the workforce that is responsible for transportation and storage of gas and all molecules that pass through SoCalGas’ pipelines — knows that California needs more than intermittent sources of energy, like solar and wind energy, to power the fourth largest economy in the world.
Certain sectors, particularly industrial, are hard to electrify and have their own climate goals. For example, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach’s goal to achieve zero emissions for cargo handling equipment by 2030 and to transition all port-serving trucks to zero emissions by 2035.
Enter hydrogen, a clean, renewable fuel source that produces water as its primary byproduct.
Countries around the world, including Japan and the Netherlands, are already investing in and relying on hydrogen to help achieve their net-zero climate goals
And the Golden State has the California Hydrogen Hub, which includes portions of SoCalGas’ proposed Angeles Link. Critically, the California Hydrogen Hub would energize industrial users, assist in fueling the growing number of hydrogen fueling stations and power hybrid and zero-emission vehicles.
That’s why it’s so troubling that the federal administration is reportedly considering cutting some or all of the $1.2 billion in federal funding awarded to jump-start the California Hydrogen Hub, a public-private hub. (The U.S. Department of Energy has said it is conducting a comprehensive review of its projects and that proposed cuts to several hydrogen hubs, including California’s, are “speculation.”)
The California Hydrogen Hub is not an example of government waste. Instead, it’s an example of domestic energy contributing to an all-of-the-above solution to our power needs.
It’s a set of infrastructure projects to build a statewide pipeline — expected to create an estimated 220,000 jobs, including 130,000 in construction and 90,000 permanent jobs and invest billions into our economy annually. That presents tremendous opportunities for UWUA Local 483 members, other workers and end-users. It’s a proverbial win-win-win.
It’s such a powerful project that 47 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives from California, along with our two senators, wrote a letter urging the Trump Administration to preserve funding for the California Hydrogen Hub.
“We view (the California Hydrogen Hub) as a strategic investment in American energy innovation, an all-of-the-above energy strategy, and energy independence and competitiveness,” the letter stated.
To reduce or eliminate funding for the California Hydrogen Hub would be baffling.
Currently, advocates are calling for natural gas to be phased out in the not-so-distant future. If that time comes, hydrogen represents a critical contingency plan for my union’s 350 members, their middle-class jobs and the communities they support by patronizing small businesses and donating to local charities. Hydrogen also benefits those who rely on safe and reliable energy and may not be able to afford to electrify.
It could not be more clear: Hydrogen supports a cleaner environment for California; and it fosters economic growth and job retention and creation.
For the good of American energy independence, the climate and family-sustaining union jobs, Californians must continue to fight for our hydrogen hub.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "With jobs and the climate on the line, California’s hydrogen hub must be protected | Opinion."