O’Farrell, Martinez Lead Unanimous Council Vote to Designate the Los Angeles Region as a Green Hydrogen Hub
The action allows the City to apply for federal funding to bring this revolutionary technology to Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell and Council President Nury Martinez today led the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous vote that would allow the City to apply for federal funds that would designate Los Angeles as a center of “green hydrogen” technology.
Green hydrogen, when powered by renewable energy, has been identified as a key strategy to transition hard-to-electrify industries away from fossil fuels, while cleaning air in historically underserved communities and helping Los Angeles achieve its 100% renewable energy by 2035.
“As a job center and capital of innovation with a diverse renewable energy portfolio, Los Angeles is well positioned to become a leader in green hydrogen technology, which can play a critical part in our efforts to create cleaner air and achieve our 100% renewable energy goal by 2035” said Councilmember O’Farrell, Chair of the City Councils’ Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice and LA River Committee. “The federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to bring this jobs-creating industry to Los Angeles in a process that prioritizes equity, environmental justice and well-paying jobs.”
Following today’s vote, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in partnership with the Port of Los Angeles and other City Departments will submit a proposal to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to designate the greater Los Angeles region as a “Green Hydrogen Hub.” The upwards of $8 billion in federal funding that’s tied to this designation results from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which allocates funding for the creation of at least four regional Hydrogen Hubs across the nation, overseen by the DOE as part of its Clean Energy Demonstration Program.
Today’s action, which was celebrated by environmental and labor organizations, also directs the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office to involve historically underserved communities in the application process, who stand to benefit from the elimination of carbon emissions emitting from hard-to-electrify industries.
The process to reach today’s unanimous vote involved collaboration between many stakeholders, including environmental advocates and partners in labor.
“Today’s vote is a step in the right direction to more opportunities and good-paying jobs for working Angelenos,” said Chris Hannan, Executive Secretary for the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. “Our pursuit and thoughtful investment in burgeoning technologies like green hydrogen will ensure that Los Angeles stays at the forefront of new industries that will uplift the next generation of workers.”
