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 In April, the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) bid to become a hydrogen hub under the Biden-Harris Administration?s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Up to $1 billion was at stake, and the potential for over 10,000 jobs. On Friday, PNWH2 received good news: they succeeded.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected PNWH2?s Hub as one of seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs nationwide. DOE and PNWH2 will soon negotiate the specifics, but overall, the PNWH2 hub is eligible to receive $1 billion over a nine-year, four-phase period. In short, the Pacific Northwest?s clean energy economy is about to take another major step forward thanks to hydrogen.
?Washington state and our partners are leading the way in climate innovation,? tweeted Gov. Jay Inslee. ?The PNWH2 Hub is another example of how the transition to all-renewable energy is not only saving our planet, but also creating 10,000 new jobs in the region.?
Seventeen energy projects have been proposed as part of the PNWH2 Hub. The hub will create or support more than 10,000 family-wage jobs, many union-represented. Tribes, labor, ports, industry, governments, and communities all had their say in the proposal, and all will reap the rewards of a regional hydrogen boom.
Twin Transit and Douglas County adopted hydrogen early. In Lewis County, Twin Transit envisions a bus fleet powered by hydrogen to move commuters. In Douglas County, the local utility district has a plan to produce two tons of hydrogen fuel a day using well water and surplus hydropower. Washington-based companies are pioneering enormous mining trucks powered by hydrogen. National hydrogen production must double by 2030 to meet federal goals to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and now the Pacific Northwest will be a hub for that production.
The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), the state?s comprehensive program to cap and reduce climate pollution and invest proceeds in accelerating the transition to clean energy, works hand in hand with the push to develop green hydrogen in the region. By requiring pollution reduction, it creates demand for green hydrogen as industry and transportation look for clean alternatives to fossil fuels. Revenues from the program complement this federal funding in many ways. CCA revenues funded a state match for this federal Hub grant and provide complementary funding to support the transition to hydrogen and other clean fuels.
The new national network of regional hydrogen hubs will speed up the commercial-scale deployment of clean hydrogen to decarbonize heavy industry and transportation. The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub aims to remove approximately 1.7 million metric tons per year of CO2 emissions?equivalent to removing the emissions from roughly 346,000 gasoline-powered cars annually.
?Thrilled to announce $1 BILLION for a Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub in the Pacific Northwest,? tweeted Sen. Patty Murray. ?This monumental investment will create thousands of jobs in our region & ensure WA plays a leading role in growing the green hydrogen economy to help tackle the climate crisis.?
 Gov. Jay Inslee takes a peek under the cowling of a hydrogen-fueled passenger aircraft hangered in Moses Lake. Thanks to the region?s selection to become a federal ?Hydrogen Hub,? this and other exciting hydrogen-fueled innovations in Washington state will be accelerated.
 The potential for offshore wind energy in the United States is enormous, and Washington state announced a new initiative Tuesday to leap to the forefront of the manufacture and distribution of components the industry will require.
?Today we?re here to announce the launch of our latest formal initiative: the Blue Wind Supply Chain Collaborative,? said Joshua Berger, CEO of Maritime Blue. ?Offshore wind is expected to be a $70 billion industry in the U.S. over the next decade. The collaborative aims to ensure that our region plays a significant part in this market.?
There's a challenge: most waters where wind generation is feasible are too deep for submerged foundations. Turbines must be made to float. But inventive solutions exist, and the market poses an opportunity valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Many thousands of jobs are at stake, and Washington state is moving forward with a transparent, inclusive process.
?To put this into context, what Louisiana has in the oil industry, we could have in offshore wind. The opportunity is huge,? said Inslee. ?And I?m less worried about wind spills than I am about oil spills in the Gulf.?
Read the full story on Gov. Jay Inslee's Medium
Entrepreneurship is a challenging feat. But the State of Washington publishes a small business guide to help entrepreneurs and small business proprietors. The guide offers advice on business planning, licensing, and permitting. And it also directs entrepreneurs to regulatory information and financial resources.
And now, thanks to the efforts of the Office for Regulator Innovation and Assistance (ORIA), the guide is now available in Braille, as well as nine languages in addition to English. Another audio-based version is coming soon. The Braille and audio versions were produced in collaboration with the Department of Social and Health Services? Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the state Department of Services for the Blind.
"In the state, we tout ourselves as a leader in accessibility. This is just another step,? said Rafael Fernandez, ORIA's communications and engagement specialist. ?This initiative reinforces Washington State?s reputation as a leader in accessibility and as a place where every individual is encouraged to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, regardless of their abilities or background. We hear the community, we see the community, and we strive to deliver resources to those who can't hear or see us."
ORIA also welcomes questions from small business proprietors by text, online chat, email, and phone.
Inslee first convened a Subcabinet on Business Diversity in 2015 to improve the prospects of BIPOC-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses in the state. Racial minorities own 15.1% of Washington state businesses. And working-age people with disabilities pursue self-employment more often than the general population. Through inclusive programming through the state Department of Commerce and ORIA, the state continues to cater resources to the entirety of its diverse, multi-lingual, all-ability small business base.
 The Israeli flag was raised at the Washington State Capitol this week.
A terrorist attack on Saturday, Oct. 7 resulted in the death, injury, and abduction of at least 3,500 people in Israel. The war that has now ensued is killing many more. Among the dead is Hayim Katsman, who came to Washington state to study at the University of Washington and received his doctorate in June 2021.
Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday directed that flags be lowered at the Washington State Capitol to honor the lost. The governor also directed the Israeli flag be flown from Wednesday through Thursday.
?Hamas's violent attack on Israel deeply saddens me. It has caused suffering abroad and heartache here in Washington state,? tweeted Inslee.
Rare annular solar eclipse will block the sun Saturday morning
The moon will pass in front of the sun on Saturday morning, blocking up to 81% of the sun?s light between 8:09 a.m. until 10:39 a.m. A ?ring of fire? will silhouette the moon, but be warned: staring at the sun is extremely unsafe. The Olympian offered some recommendations, including eclipse glasses available at many retailers, to watch safely.
Tribal fishery restored along Elwha River
Two hydroelectric dams were decommissioned and removed along the Elwha River beginning in 2011. Over a decade later, members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe may return and fish for coho, a centuries-old ritual interrupted for many years by the construction of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in the early 20th?Century.
On the road: Inslee cuts ribbons, talks housing, cheers offshore wind
Last Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee toured King County to meet local officials to discuss transit-oriented development. Several local mayors joined the meeting in Auburn who share goals of building affordable housing near convenient and environmentally-friendly mass transit options. The governor also visited Highline High School in Burien, where he met with students and alumni who teamed up to install solar panels and start a composting program at the school.
On Tuesday, the governor visited Snohomish County. The Edmonds School District essentially donated an old baseball field so that affordable housing could be built near Cedar Valley Elementary School. As many as 475 families in the district experienced homelessness last year - some students arrive to school from tents and shelters. Soon, 52 new units will be built on the donated property to reduce that number. The governor also cut the ribbon to open a new live-in treatment facility for moms overcoming substance use disorder, and their babies who may also require treatment to overcome neonatal abstinence syndrome.
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