According to the California Energy Commission (CEC), green hydrogen is a nascent technology that is still in the research, development and demonstration stage. Not to mention there is considerable uncertainty regarding hydrogen’s long-term cost and commercial availability. In fact, what qualifies as green hydrogen is still being determined.

The legislature has already instructed the CEC to analyze green hydrogen and make recommendations on its role in meeting California’s zero carbon goals by 2045. The CEC just initiated that effort, in 2022, at providing policymakers and other stakeholders with an “analysis from a neutral point of view [that] would ensure policymakers and future planners have actionable information available to them” to assess the feasibility and cost effectiveness of green hydrogen.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) also recently released a preliminary study on the operational and safety concerns of injecting hydrogen into the existing natural gas pipeline network. That report from UC Riverside raised serious public safety, pipeline integrity, leakage and storage concerns. The report ultimately recommends a 3-year limited “real world demonstration effort under safe and controlled conditions.”

SoCalGas’ End Run raises a number of questions:

Why are captive ratepayers being required to fund projects that will ultimately benefit Sempra and SoCal Gas shareholders who stand to make billions of dollars all at ratepayer risk and expense?

Why is the CPUC overstepping its own authority and jurisdiction? The CPUC’s own decision on SoCalGas’ Angeles Link project includes “findings of fact” and “conclusions of law” that questions that agency’s authority over the matter!

Why is the CPUC ignoring its own policies and precedents? SoCal Gas has not identified even a single customer for the gas?

Why are all of SoCal Gas’ customers being asked to pay for a project that will only benefit a small handful of industrial customers in Los Angeles?

Finally, why is SoCalGas Company trying to prematurely authorize billions of dollars for new hydrogen pipelines. . . all at massive ratepayer expense?

The answer is simple. It’s part of a controversial “pipe dream” plan to “decarbonize” their natural gas business, thwart electrification and earn billions of dollars in additional profits for their shareholders.

Say No to Shareholders benefitting at ratepayer expense.

Visit the pages below for more on this gas company end run.