Don’t Cut Hydrogen Hubs Funding, California Lawmakers Urge Trump’s Energy Chief

Energy Secretary Chris Wright plans to cut funding committed to hydrogen hubs as part of the Biden administration’s push for clean fuels.

Then Secretary of Energy nominee, Chris Wright on Capitol Hill, Jan. 15, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A majority of California’s congressional delegation urged the Trump administration to preserve funding for the state’s hydrogen production hubs after news broke that the state’s project was on the chopping block.

Four Republican members joined the 45 other Democratic representatives and senators pleading with Energy Secretary Chris Wright to continue funding the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) in a letter sent Monday.

“As the administration evaluates existing energy investments and pathways to make energy affordable, we respectfully urge you to continue supporting [ARCHES],” the lawmakers wrote. “ARCHES plays a critical role in securing American energy dominance, advancing world-leading energy technology, creating new manufacturing jobs, and lowering energy costs for American families.”

The letter was signed by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Ro Khana (D-Calif.), among others.

ARCHES is a statewide public-private partnership to accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure in California. The plan is to help build a network of clean, renewable hydrogen production sites to cut fossil fuel use in the state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The hub was promised $1.2 billion in funding from the Biden administration, with $30 million received in a grant in July 2024.

Wright is mulling a plan to cut funding to four of seven hydrogen hubs selected by the Biden administration to receive $7 billion, according to Reuters.

Four hubs are allegedly targeted for cuts, including in the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Mid-Atlantic, representing about $4 billion of the funding, according to a list reportedly circulated by the agency.

The hubs were part of former President Joe Biden’s effort to decarbonize the United States and spur production of “clean hydrogen” and the infrastructure it needs to get to industrial users.

The funding cuts are part of a larger effort by President Donald Trump to usher in a new era of energy dominanc.

Trump created a National Energy Dominance Council in February to coordinate and steer energy policy with primarily oil and gas production. Wright serves as vice chair of the committee.

The White House said the council would accelerate the reversal of Biden’s energy policies, which Trump blames for raising overall household energy prices.

A hydrogen-powered bus at a press conference celebrating investments in hydrogen fueling stations in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 30, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

Another group of 25 Democratic senators, including Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Patty Murry (D-Wash), wrote a more forceful letter to Wright on April 2 demanding that he uphold his commitment to honor existing legal agreements and deliver federal funds, calling it “illegal” and “harmful to the public and energy consumers.”

“Indiscriminately canceling program funding and executed contracts, and refusing to execute on the funding directives Congress enacted, neither honors existing agreements nor is consistent with the spending laws that have appropriated funding for specific purposes,” the delegation wrote.

The senators, who are in the minority, also demanded a detailed list and a briefing that identifies which grants, loans, or loan guarantees the secretary believes should be rescinded and why he thinks they should be scrapped.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Energy Department said the agency was reviewing all programs.

“The Department of Energy is conducting a department-wide review to ensure all activities follow the law and align with the Trump administration’s priorities,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email Tuesday. “The American people provided President Trump with a mandate to govern and to unleash ‘American Energy Dominance.’ The Department of Energy is hard at work to deliver on President Trump’s promise to restore affordable, reliable, and secure energy to the American people.”