Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in using hydrogen as a fuel source on a large scale for a variety of reasons. Several projects are already either in the planning stages or underway seeking to make this a reality. But in order for that to happen, we’re going to need to not only create a lot more hydrogen but establish ways to move it around the country. That means we’re going to need pipelines for it. But the requirements for transporting hydrogen are different than those for natural gas, so we’ll either need to make modifications to existing gas lines or build new pipelines from scratch. (Most likely a combination of both.) With that in mind, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has been meeting to explore what needs to be done and determine what regulations should be in place for these projects. Democrats on the committee seem eager to hand the regulatory responsibilities off to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) since they already handle similar regulatory responsibilities for the interstate transportation of oil and natural gas. But Republicans on the committee have been pushing back, claiming that the FERC could wind up crushing the nascent hydrogen energy industry before it even gets on its feet. This debate is an important one to watch since it would have a significant impact on America’s future energy opportunities.-
[hotair.com]