This tiny Central Valley farmworker community halted a hydrogen plant project. Here’s why
Pixley residents this week halted the development of a hydrogen plant approved by Tulare County leaders without an environmental review despite its plans to produce and store large quantities of hazardous and explosive materials.
Residents of the rural unincorporated community located in southwest Tulare County along Highway 99 said the postponement of the project was a significant victory.
“This win for our community is a testament to the power of people. We have shown that community voices can make a difference,” said said Pixley resident Beverley Whitfield. Whitfield, 73, has lived in Pixley for more than 50 years and represents the Pixley Residents for Environment Justice group that sued to halt the project.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously withdrew its approval of a 28-acre industrial hydrogen plant.
The county faced opposition from Pixley residents who filed a lawsuit to halt the project because it lacked environmental clearance
“It is critical the project undergoes proper environmental review to ensure there are safeguards in place to protect the community,” said Michael Claiborne, an attorney for the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability representing Pixley residents.
In March, Pixley Residents for Environmental Justice filed a lawsuit in Tulare County Superior Court challenging the county’s approval of the Golden State Hydrogen Plant project.
Tulare County officials unanimously approved a notice of exemption for the project in January, according to the lawsuit.
According to Leadership Counsel, the county violated California’s environmental laws by failing to complete any environmental review while attempting to fast-track and streamline the project.
The county failed to adequately analyze and mitigate the impacts of the hydrogen project on residents and their community, according to Leadership Counsel.
Pixley is a census-designated place in Tulare County with a population of about 3,800 residents who face significant exposure to pollution.
Maria Arevalo, a Pixley Residents for Environmental Justice representative who has lived in town since 1967, told the Board of Supervisors that members of her family, including herself, suffer from poor health because of the pollution.
Future of the project
The project in Pixley, by Phoenix-based Proteum Energy, would have included the construction and operation of an ethanol-to-hydrogen plant to produce, store, and transfer large quantities of hazardous, volatile, and explosive materials and poisons. The project’s future plans also called for carbon storage and sequestration, which would require underground transport and storage of carbon dioxide via an interconnected pipeline system.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that requires the county to rescind its approval of the project and requires notice to our clients if the applicant submits a new project application,” said Josh Chatten-Brown, managing partner at the Chatten-Brown Law Group firm that represented Pixley residents.
Aaron Bock, assistant director of economic development and planning at the Tulare County Resource Management Agency, said Proteum Energy would have to include a “more robust environmental document” in its reapplication in order to advance the hydrogen project.
“Whenever they decide to move forward, we’ll process the application to the best of our ability,” Bock said.
John Rosenfeld, vice president commercial and strategic for Proteum Energy, said the company is “encouraged” by the development of the California market when it comes to hydrogen and other clean fuels. He said the company is examining the plant’s configuration and design, and appreciates the cooperation from the county’s planners and support from the Board of Supervisors.
Rosenfeld said the company “would engage with the community going forward.
“We want to make sure that we understand what their concerns are,” he said.
The project sits adjacent to Highway 99 and would have been located within 300 feet of the nearest residences.
Earlier this year, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) said it wants to test hydrogen fuel in Orange Cove, a small farmworker community in the eastern Fresno County foothills.
SoCalGas says that using hydrogen blended fuel in homes can help meet California’s demands for green energy or zero emissions and that Orange Cove is an ideal location due to its existing natural gas infrastructure, including underground pipes.
Both Orange Cove and Pixley are mostly Latino towns in the San Joaquin Valley.
In October 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California was selected as a National Hydrogen Hub by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive up to $1.2 billion in federal funds to build or expand hydrogen projects powering public transportation, heavy-duty trucks and port operations.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 3:50 PM with the headline "This tiny Central Valley farmworker community halted a hydrogen plant project. Here’s why."
