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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 6, 2023 04:19 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Katie J. Muth |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Protecting Communities from Volatile HyBlend in PA Pipelines |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation that would prohibit hydrogen blending in gas pipelines in Pennsylvania. In December 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy published a fact sheet on its HyBlend initiative that is part of its larger H2@Scale initiative to enable the development of a “hydrogen economy.” The “HyBlend initiative” proposes to inject hydrogen into already operational extracted gas pipelines to generate heat and power with, allegedly, lower emissions than using fracked gas alone. According to the most recent data reported by the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), there are 10,454 miles of extracted gas transmission lines and 79,265 miles of gas distribution and service lines in our Commonwealth. Nationally, there are currently 1600 miles of hydrogen pipelines in the United States, but none are located in Pennsylvania. Currently, about 95% of all hydrogen is produced from steam reforming of natural gas Blending hydrogen into Pennsylvania’s existing extracted gas product pipeline system may seem to be an appealing alternative for gas energy corporations who are seeking steady profits for years to come – but this is an unproven, dangerous experiment. An Accufacts report commissioned by the Pipeline Safety Trust warns about these dangers because of the volatility of hydrogen – which is more explosive than methane, and when explosions occur, they burn longer and hotter. Additionally, hydrogen molecules are tiny, making leaks easier and explosions more likely. Pennsylvania already lacks adequate safety regulations and regulatory oversight for the tens of thousands of miles of existing gas pipelines and related infrastructure. While burning hydrogen in oxygen produces just water, burning it in air emits the more harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx). Some experts have said that nitrogen oxide, which can damage lungs, poses more of a threat than current fracked gas technology. Also of major concern, pure hydrogen can produce embrittlement of metal components, meaning a great deal of piping, interconnections, pumps, and taps will need to be replaced as hydrogen saturation increases. For decades, Pennsylvania families and our environment have been an afterthought to the fracked gas industry – as pipelines crisscross our state, with fracking extraction and affiliated operations now in the backdrops of our homes, schools, hospitals, and communities. Adding more volatile gasses, such as hydrogen, to pipelines carrying an already dangerous array of gas products is not the answer to the fossil-fuel induced climate crisis. We need a robust and thorough climate action plan with a science-based timetable for phasing out our use of fossil fuels for energy, manufacturing and transportation, and a strategic build out of an expansive, green renewable energy system to ensure a sustainable future and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the people and our planet from further harm. We cannot allow fossil fuel corporations to continue to put our future at risk by using the proposed HyBlend mixture in existing or new pipelines as sustenance to continue raking in billions of dollars more in profit from industries that exploit, loot, and pollute our Commonwealth. HyBlend is just another initiative in a long line of false climate solutions. The Green Education and Legal Fund indicates that “false solutions often contradict the precautionary principle, which emphasizes caution in dealing with new technology, taking time to review before leaping into innovations that may prove disastrous.” Further, they state that “corporate support is not a test of whether a technology is best for society as a whole however, and its main impact is often to increase the revenues of the industry advocating for technological solutions.” Please join me in protecting Pennsylvanians from being further harmed by another for-profit, fossil fuel experiment by cosponsoring this important and timely legislation. |