Recently, I thanked my state senator for his recognition of emergency medical services and the importance of our water resources. These resources may be severely hurt by development of hydrogen hubs with carbon capture.
I also listened to the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee interview three state government employees about carbon capture. I am extremely concerned that no one present discussed the greater greenhouse gas pollution produced by the creation of hydrogen from methane or the massive volumes of water that will be consumed.
A Shell Oil representative said Shell has successful experience with carbon capture. He must be referring to enhanced oil recovery, because none of the carbon capture facilities in North America could gather carbon dioxide from air efficiently. No one asked what efficiency Shell expects from carbon capture during the process of making hydrogen.
He spoke about injecting captured carbon into aquifers. But supercooled liquid carbon dioxide interacts with water to produce strong acid. People exposed to a spill of supercooled liquid carbon dioxide from a pipeline can only be protected from acid burns to their eyes, nose, mouth, lungs, etc. if they are wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. Oxygen tanks are needed to prevent suffocation.
Consider Satartia, Miss., where a ruptured CO2 pipeline sickened dozens of people in 2020. While the risks of CO2 exposure were well established, the Satartia gassing was the first known instance of an outdoor mass exposure to piped CO2 gas.
Pennsylvania needs truly green energy industries, not blue hydrogen.
Dr. Barbara Wendeborn Brandom
Highland Park
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