Thank you for visiting the Virtual Public Information Forum website for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub Environmental Impact Statement.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts for the proposed action of providing financial assistance to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (also referred to as the PNWH2 Association) to facilitate the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Pacific Northwest Regional Hydrogen Hub including in the states of Washington, Oregon and Montana. Pacific Northwest Regional Hydrogen Hub would demonstrate the production of clean hydrogen from renewable energy resources and will consist of a suite of demonstration projects involving clean hydrogen production, transportation, and end uses located within the Pacific Northwest.

As currently proposed, the Hub would encompass approximately 10 projects, including clean hydrogen production facilities that could produce 300-400 metric tons per day of clean hydrogen, hydrogen liquefiers, connective infrastructure including refueling stations and pipelines, and a range of end uses including fuel cell electric trucks, fuel cell electric buses, cargo handling equipment, and stationary fuel cells.

DOE will prepare an EIS (DOE/EIS-0571) to evaluate the potential impacts to the human environment associated with funding the Pacific Northwest Hub. The EIS will evaluate the potential impacts associated with the types of hydrogen infrastructure and technologies proposed in the Pacific Northwest Hub, such as impacts from electricity and water usage and rates of emissions, that are inherent to the technologies and infrastructure regardless of where they may be deployed. The EIS will help inform DOE’s decision as to whether to carry the Pacific Northwest Hub forward for project-specific funding decisions but will not directly authorize funding for specific Pacific Northwest Hub projects.  

If DOE decides to provide funding for the construction and operation of the Pacific Northwest Hub, DOE will analyze the potential site-specific environmental effects of individual proposed projects and make site-specific funding decisions. In addition to being subject to DOE’s NEPA review, with associated public scoping and comment periods as appropriate, individual projects will be required to adhere to the requirements of all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. DOE will be the lead federal agency in the preparation of the EIS.

As part of the public involvement process, the DOE hosted a virtual public meeting on January 22 from 6-8 PM PDT. For additional information on public meetings and providing input, click here.

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