Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Announce Up to $1 Billion for Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen's Production And Distribution Hub
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today announced up to $1 billion in federal funding for the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen’s (MachH2) regional clean hydrogen production and distribution hub (H2Hub) through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act(IIJA).
In May, Durbin and Foster led a bipartisan group of Illinois Congressional delegation members in sending a letter to DOE Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in support of MachH2’s H2Hub.
“MachH2 represents a collaboration of public and private entities, a union of innovative minds, and a collective commitment to ushering in the era of clean hydrogen,” said Durbin. “This historic announcement will put Illinois at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, exemplifying our dedication to securing a cleaner, healthier world for future generations.”
“I'm thrilled that MachH2 was selected for funding through the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program,” said Foster. “This program, created through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, invests in the energy infrastructure that our communities and future generations deserve. Our central location, National Labs, universities, industrial infrastructure, and trained workforce make Illinois and the Midwest an ideal location to demonstrate how hydrogen can play a part in the clean energy economy of tomorrow.”
“Illinois is a leader in clean energy—and today’s historic announcement demonstrates how integral our state will be in leading our nation into the green energy future,” Duckworth said.“The brilliant minds from our world-class institutions collaborating for a regional clean hydrogen hub will help our nation address climate change while simultaneously strengthening our energy economy. I’m proud of Illinois’s commitment to sustainability and that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver historic investments across the country.”
MachH2 is a multi-state coalition of public and private entities representing every phase in the hydrogen value chain. The alliance includes a cross-section of carbon-free energy producers, clean energy developers, hydrogen technology providers, utilities, major manufacturers, national labs, leading hydrogen technology development and deployment institutions, world-class universities, and groups focused on environmental justice.
When made with clean energy, hydrogen can be an essential tool to help us meet our nation’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. As an energy source, hydrogen does not emit carbon and can be used to reduce emissions from multiple difficult-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy, including aviation, shipping, steelmaking, agriculture, and long-haul transportation.
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