Antis Begin to Turn Against Blending Hydrogen in NatGas Pipes
You can’t escape mainstream media, and even many in the oil and gas industry, talking about hydrogen. The word is whispered in hallowed tones like a magic talisman. The “future of energy” is (shhhh) hydrogen, we are told. Even anti-fossil fuel cultists love hydrogen, albeit they are prejudiced–they only like certain colors of hydrogen (see Experts Say Forget About Hydrogen “Color” – Just Use & Develop It). However, some antis are now saying hydrogen flowing through existing pipelines and mixed with natural gas to be burned to heat homes or produce electricity in an attempt to lower carbon emissions…won’t work. It’s all just a pipe dream. Those who lead the anti-fossil energy movement are beginning to turn against hydrogen. The vast majority of “me too” cultists who follow them won’t be far behind.
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Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia are all scrambling to form working groups or other alliances in an attempt to be THE state chosen for one of four regional hydrogen hubs funded by the recently passed so-called Biden infrastructure bill (see 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia are all scrambling to form working groups or other alliances in an attempt to be THE state chosen for one of four regional hydrogen hubs funded by the recently passed so-called Biden infrastructure bill. The new law provides $8 billion for four regional hubs. It’s a safe bet one of those hubs will be located in either PA, OH, or WV. The race is now on to attract that investment money. On Friday, WV’s new Hydrogen Hub Working Group held its first meeting to plot a strategy to snag the project. However, PA and OH are in the hunt too, with their own dedicated groups.
The Washington County, PA Chamber of Commerce held its State of The Economy event yesterday. One of the speakers, Denise Brinley (former executive director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Energy) said that southwestern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region is a prime prospect to take advantage of establishing a $2 billion hydrogen hub. Western PA is in the “bullseye” of why funding was included in the recent federal infrastructure bill to establish four such hubs nationally, according to Brinley.
U.S. Senator from West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito “Zoomed” in to address the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia’s (GO-WV) annual winter meeting last week. She talked about the Biden infrastructure bill, which she supported, and Biden’s so-called Build Back Better bill, which she does not support. As part of her comments, Capito mentioned the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill includes money for “an Appalachian ethane/hydrogen storage hub.” Wow! We thought that project was long dead.
Although the left so often preaches we should all be colorblind, they are the ones who are obsessed with a person’s, or in this case, a hydrogen molecule’s, color. So-called environmentalists are pushing hydrogen as the nirvana alternative to natural gas. Just one teeny-tiny problem: Some 95% of all hydrogen is produced by and comes from natural gas! Which has given rise to a rainbow of colors when talking about hydrogen. If the hydrogen (H2) is produced by cracking natural gas and capturing/storing the carbon dioxide that’s left over, it’s called “blue” hydrogen. Don’t store the CO2 when producing the H2? That’s called “gray” hydrogen. And there are other colors depending on the process to produce the H2, including “green” (made from so-called renewable energy sources), “brown” or “black” (H2 made from coal), “turquoise” (stores the CO2 in solid form), and now (yes), even “pink” hydrogen, made using nuclear energy. These dipwads with their color designations are too funny…
Last week six U.S. Senators (five of whom from major energy-producing states) introduced a series of three bipartisan bills aimed at encouraging the development of hydrogen energy infrastructure. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, was one of the sponsors and promoters. So too was Chris Coons, far-left Democrat from Delaware. That shows the range of support for efforts to help goose hydrogen use in this country.
Earlier this month MDN exclusively broke the news that earlier this year (slipping under the radar) the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) issued permits to Powhatan Salt Company/Mountaineer NGL Storage for three planned solution mining wells in Monroe County (see 
What role do hydrogen (H2) and carbon capture and sequestration (CSS) play in the future of the Marcellus/Utica (and all oil and gas)? That’s the gajillion-dollar question. Will H2 and CSS play a big role? Minor role? Is H2 the fuel of the future, really? No one knows, but we can’t afford to ignore it. The number one source for the manufacture and creation of H2 is…natural gas. If the H2 market takes off, it could be an important new customer for M-U molecules. You can get a front-row seat to learn more about H2, CSS, and the intersection of them with the M-U at the 
On August 30, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) issued permits to Powhatan Salt Company/Mountaineer NGL Storage for three planned solution mining wells in Monroe County. The three salt caverns will store NGLs (natural gas liquids, mainly ethane) to potentially be used by ethane crackers including the Shell cracker near Pittsburgh and potentially a second ethane cracker proposed by PTT Global Chemical in Belmont County. The salt caverns can also be used to store hydrogen (H2).
Brian Anderson is director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and now the head of the Biden administration’s Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, an effort to kill the use of fossil fuels (see 
Robert Rapier, a chemical engineer in the energy industry, often writes for both the Forbes.com and OilPrice.com websites. Excellent writer. Rapier recently concluded a four-article series examining Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs in the oil industry, with an emphasis on how some companies are using hydrogen to improve their metrics. The last article in the series (below) tackles the issue of how hydrogen could/might/maybe become a “game-changer” for midstreamers in the oil and gas space. Our takeaway from reading his article is this…
For all the chatter about ESG and environmental yada yada, at the end of the day every Marcellus and Utica driller drills for and extracts hydrocarbons. Fossil fuels. As the de facto leader of all natural gas drillers, it’s important and instructive to watch what EQT and its young CEO, Toby Rice, actually do AND say. EQT and Rice are leading the charge to defend our industry against the crazies who want to end the use of all fossil fuels. In a recent column appearing in a West Virginia newspaper, Rice makes the case that natural gas is good for the economy and good for the environment.