On September 19, 2022, the Governors of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin announced the creation of the Midwest Hydrogen Coalition (M-H2 Coalition), which will provide a framework for a regional clean hydrogen market focused on innovation, workforce, resilience, and public health. Some of the activities the Coalition will engage in include selecting a technology-neutral lifecycle carbon-intensity metric for defining clean hydrogen, identifying the hydrogen production pathways in their respective states, collaborating on hydrogen hub applications, cooperating on workforce development programs, and engaging with partners (including industry and universities) to encourage development of clean hydrogen and green ammonia. The M-H2 Coalition will take advantage of key characteristics of the Midwest region including feedstock diversity, existing hydrogen infrastructure (i.e., pipelines), end use diversity (i.e., transportation and energy storage), agriculture (i.e., the use of ammonia in agricultural production), and industry (i.e., oil refining & steel production).
A taskforce made up of senior leadership from each state will meet regularly and produce reports on the progress of the coalition. Confirmed members include representatives from the Indiana Office of Energy Development, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and several agencies in the state of Wisconsin.
For more information on the M-H2 Coalition, read the Regional Clean Hydrogen Memorandum of Understanding here.