Fossil Fuel Interests Paid for Pro-Hydrogen Study, Boston Globe Reports

A strong coalition of {industry} pursuits paid for a peer-reviewed research on the advantages of hydrogen as an vitality supply, the Boston Globe reported in an article published Wednesday. The research uncared for to say the numerous involvement of fossil gasoline participants in drafting the textual content. According to paperwork obtained by the Globe, these {industry} pursuits had been so concerned within the analysis that they had been “allowed to review and suggest changes before the study was released,” together with drafting massive parts of the research’s suggestions to policymakers.

The Globe’s report offers with a paper printed in Frontiers in Energy Research in September by a workforce of researchers at University of Massachusetts, Lowell. In the research, the authors assessment analysis on several types of hydrogen and make suggestions for Massachusetts to greatest incorporate hydrogen into its vitality future.

“A hydrogen economy has the potential to provide economic benefits, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and sector coupling to provide a resilient energy grid,” the authors write within the paper’s introduction.

The analysis was funded by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), a enterprise coalition representing quite a lot of industries; their affiliation was disclosed within the paper. However, emails obtained by way of a public information request by the Globe present that a number of the affiliation’s fossil gasoline and pure gasoline members, together with pure gasoline big National Grid, that may profit from a constructive research on hydrogen’s advantages had been immediately requested to fund the analysis and assessment the ultimate paper—and the research’s authors had been conscious of this outreach. This was not talked about within the closing paper.

Over the previous few years, the recognition of hydrogen gasoline in its place vitality supply has skyrocketed within the dialog across the vitality transition. The oil and gasoline {industry} is especially passionate about hydrogen; along with kinds of hydrogen that may be made with pure gasoline and different fossil fuels, the concept hydrogen produced from renewable vitality—referred to as inexperienced hydrogen—might merely substitute fossil fuels in current pipelines and infrastructure is alluring to an {industry} anxious a few coming vitality transition. The research, nevertheless, neglects to say most of the points with this idea, together with hydrogen’s questionable utility for house heating. Several non-industry-funded studies have discovered that hydrogen wouldn’t be an financial or wise carbon-free alternative for heating houses.

The Globe stories that one of many research’s coauthors, Mary Usovicz, a former director of enterprise improvement at UMass Lowell, “had spent decades working in the gas industry.” A lobbyist for AIM, Robert Rio, was pleasant with Usovicz, and met together with her weekly and was allowed entry to the research earlier than it was printed. In one e mail obtained by the Globe, Rio was offered a Microsoft Word doc of the research; observe modifications present that Rio had a hand in drafting parts of the introduction in addition to suggestions on the finish of the research geared towards policymakers.

“It is our conclusion that the use of hydrogen in some applications which currently use fossil fuels will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and help contribute to meeting the Commonwealth’s 2050 net-zero carbon goals and if widely adopted, help reduce CO2 emissions globally,” a piece virtually totally drafted by Rio learn. “We believe that the challenges related to the use of hydrogen – cost, and safety primarily can be overcome with proper and appropriate regulations.”

Representatives from National Grid, in the meantime, had been additionally allowed to supply feedback on a draft. National Grid was amongst a gaggle of AIM members and fossil gasoline pursuits that considerably funded the research—which the paper’s lead writer, Christopher Niezrecki, a professor within the division of mechanical engineering, was conscious of. In January 2021, information obtained by the Globe present, Usovicz emailed Niezrecki to tell him {that a} group of vitality and pipeline firms, together with National Grid, Eversource, and Enbridge, had kicked in additional than $50,000 to fund the research.

“While UMass Lowell has no opinion on the use of green hydrogen in Massachusetts, it has extensive faculty expertise on the topics of advanced energy and sustainability and a long history of partnership with industry,” UMass Lowell spokesperson Jonathan Strunk advised Earther in an e mail. “The university’s green hydrogen report evaluated the challenges and opportunities posed by green hydrogen for further civic and scientific discussion through the lens of multiple disciplines ranging from engineering to economics. The research has gone through the peer review process, is in accordance with university academic and research policies and UMass Lowell stands by its research.” Representatives from AIM didn’t return our request for remark.

“We were eager to support a study that would allow us to learn more about hydrogen’s potential as a decarbonization solution,” National Grid advised the Globe.

As we reported final week, the fossil gasoline {industry} is already discovering methods to fund its pursuits at educational facilities and up its standing within the eyes of policymakers. However, the circumstances round this research present how {industry} pursuits and speaking factors can weasel their means into peer-reviewed analysis. And getting analysis like this out into the general public could be a win for the {industry} by way of coverage strikes: Usovicz met with a state consultant, who later launched two hydrogen payments into the House, because the analysis was getting off the bottom final 12 months.

“My personal take is this should not have been published in a peer reviewed journal as it is, because I think the presentation is biased, slanted, and misleading in a way that’s hard to defend academically,” mentioned Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology at Cornell University who has printed analysis on hydrogen, advised the Boston Globe.