Congresswomen Schrier, DelBene Demand Department of Energy Reverse Harmful Decision to Terminate Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswomen Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) and Suzan DelBene (WA-01) led 13 of their colleagues on a letter demanding that Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright reverse the harmful decision to cancel $1 billion in federal funding for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub.

“We write to denounce the Department of Energy (DOE)’s unacceptable and unlawful termination of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen (PNWH2) Hub. The PNWH2 Hub was one of the largest of 223 projects across primarily blue states that DOE announced would lose funding. With this political ploy, you create severe economic losses for our region, risking thousands of good-paying jobs, billions of dollars in investment, and the setback of the United States’ position on energy independence,” the letter states. 

The PNWH2 Hub was the direct result of years of bipartisan advocacy and was set to bolster the region’s economy and domestic energy production. The Hydrogen Hub would create more than 10,000 high-quality jobs, bring in over $4 million in training programs, and attract approximately $5 billion in private investment. The decision to cancel this funding, rooted in political retribution, is gambling away economic opportunity for constituents and businesses. This will lead to higher costs and hurt American energy production and competitiveness in global energy markets, ceding ground to international competitors like China. 

The letter continues, “With these stakes, it is in the best interests of the region’s grid reliability, economy, and families for DOE to reverse this illegal decision to terminate the PNWH2 Hub. We demand that you take corrective action to lower rising energy costs, strengthen U.S. energy independence and restore these domestic manufacturing jobs while adhering to the rule of law.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.