Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined local leaders in Philadelphia Tuesday to discuss the economic benefits and job creation aspect of the $750 million in federal investments for the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) in Philadelphia.
Shapiro was joined by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council Business Manager Ryan Boyer, Steamfitters Local 420 Business Manager Jim Snell, and Cheyney University President Aaron Walton. The group said the MACH2 hub will create thousands of good-paying union jobs across the region and push Pennsylvania into the top spot in the country as a leader for clean energy.
“This investment is a game changer for our Commonwealth and for the energy economy – and in southeastern Pennsylvania, that means we’ll create 20,800 good paying union jobs in plumbing, pipefitting, electrical work, engineering and so much more,” Shapiro said. “With this new hydrogen hub, we have the chance to prove ourselves again as the center of the clean energy universe – and with Philly labor at the helm here, I know that we are going make big waves in the energy sector for decades to come.”
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the MACH2 project would join six other hydrogen hubs across the country, including one other one in Pennsylvania, the ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub based in West Virginia and focused on the Appalachian Region into Southwestern Pennsylvania. The MACH2 hub is expected to create 20,000 jobs, while the ARCH2 hub is expected to create 21,000 jobs.
“The Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) has the potential to revolutionize the nation’s energy sector and make Pennsylvania a leader in clean energy development while driving economic growth and creating good-paying union jobs,” said Jim Snell, Business Manager of Steamfitters Local 420. “By leveraging our infrastructure and expanding it strategically, we can accelerate the adoption of state-of-the-art hydrogen technology that provides countless new job opportunities and paves the way for a more sustainable, greener future.”
Shapiro said Philadelphia unions were critical partners in securing the hub. Union leaders said the tri-state region would benefit from the project, as every project in the MACH2 hub will use Project Labor Agreements to create union jobs and provide nearly $14 million regional Workforce Development Boards with funding for community college training and pre-apprenticeships.
“This backdrop was specifically chosen because it represents what we are going to do with these jobs that the President of the United States helped us get with a $750 million grant for the hydrogen hub,” Ryan Boyer, Business Manager of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council said. “With my brothers and sisters in Philadelphia Building Trades, we’re going to train the next generation of construction workers and infrastructure workers, and we’re going to build America back better. We have all the partners to make this a transformative project and create perpetual jobs and perpetual benefits for this region.”