California’s plan to blend hydrogen into natural gas to cut pollution is facing scrutiny from residents as regulators consider how to set safety rules and testing parameters for the state’s gas infrastructure.
In Orange Cove, a citrus farming community in California’s Central Valley, Southern California Gas Co. wants to blend and inject hydrogen into the town’s gas system after a state utility regulator directed the company and others to launch pilot projects. Proponents say hydrogen blending can help California reduce planet-warming pollution while integrating cleaner energy into existing infrastructure. Critics, however, question whether the pilots will introduce new health and safety risks and complain that the project is moving forward without sufficient transparency or input from affected residents.
Alma Figueroa, a 60-year-old Orange Cove resident who has asthma and recently learned her lung cancer is back, said she does not want to be part of a test. “I don’t want to be anyone’s experiment,” she said.
The Orange Cove proposal would test different hydrogen levels in gas pipelines and the appliances they fuel, according to the report. The pilot is described as an 18-month project in which up to 5% hydrogen would be routed to businesses and to Orange Cove’s roughly 10,000 residents, using ratepayer funding. The story estimated the project would cost $64.3 million and cited an estimate from a Minneapolis utility company that a blend of up to 5% green hydrogen would reduce carbon pollution by about 1,200 tons annually—equivalent, the report said, to removing 254 gas-powered cars.
Supporters say the United States has a large existing gas pipeline network—about 3 million miles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy—that could be used to move cleaner hydrogen while reducing reliance on gas. Janice Lin of the Green Hydrogen Coalition said testing blending is important, and she argued for having an alternative to fossil fuels. “The way to move us away and really clean our air and minimize our reliance on fossil fuels is by having a viable alternative,” she said.
While proponents see pilots as a way to create safety rules for hydrogen blending, experts in the story pointed to remaining uncertainties, particularly around how hydrogen would behave in real-world gas systems and within everyday appliances. Alejandra Hormaza, who teaches renewable energy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, said the consensus is that up to 20% hydrogen by volume is safe, but she said more evidence is needed. “we need more experimental work that uses real natural gas infrastructure to fully understand the impacts of hydrogen,” Hormaza said.
The story said the California Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision on the proposals this year, after several gas companies filed a joint application in 2022 to pursue hydrogen blending. It also described how the Orange Cove plan evolved: SoCalGas first proposed hydrogen blending tests at facilities at the University of California, Irvine, but scaled back its plan after protests. After Orange Cove leaders expressed interest, the gas company identified the town as an ideal candidate because of its pipeline materials, including steel and polyethylene, and because it has only one gas feed coming in, giving the company more control over the blend.
Orange Cove city leaders voted unanimously in support, and Mayor Diana Guerra Silva said at an August public hearing that the project would provide workforce opportunities for youth and boost business from visitors, according to a transcript. Resident Angelica Martinez also spoke at the hearing, saying the town could become a “pioneer” in hydrogen blending. The report said the town’s population is mostly Spanish-speaking Latino immigrants and that 39% of residents live in poverty, with the area also facing significant pollution and the highest asthma rate in Fresno County.
Residents who oppose the pilot raised concerns about the effects of hydrogen-blended gas on older appliances and the potential for increased emissions of nitrogen oxides, which can worsen asthma and other respiratory problems. The report said homes with older appliances are more vulnerable to these risks and that, in one estimate discussed by Ryan Sinclair, a 5% mix can bump nitrogen oxides emissions an average of 8%. Sinclair, an environmental microbiologist at Loma Linda University, said more health risk assessments are needed before starting hydrogen blending.
The story also said there are questions about whether hydrogen could increase leaks in gas systems and about hydrogen’s potential climate impacts. It said Hormaza noted insufficient research on whether hydrogen can increase leaks and that research shows hydrogen can indirectly heat the planet by interacting with other gases. Environmental groups cited in the report argued hydrogen should be used only in high-energy industries such as aviation, cement or steelmaking, while others argued that electrifying appliances is a more efficient emissions-reduction approach.
Opponents in the story said the project would impose unnecessary risk on a community that may have limited ability to change or update gas appliances. Michael Claiborne, directing attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, said the plan was unnecessary and risky. “To me, it’s just an absurd project. It’s (a) boondoggle,” Claiborne said.
In response to such concerns, the report said SoCalGas has said it would employ safety measures before, during and after the project, including leak surveys and detection technology, backflow prevention to keep hydrogen within a controlled area, and developing emergency responses. Francisco Gonzalez, a resident described in the story as having friends with asthma and siblings with respiratory issues, said the community is not against change or clean energy but opposes being left out of the conversation.