A woman named Alma Figueroa began to worry when she learned her gas provider wanted to test a controversial solution to curb global warming, the solution was to blend hydrogen with natural gas to power stoves and other appliances. Figueroa, who has asthma and recently learned that her lung cancer came back, worries about her health.
According to AP news, “I don’t want to be anyone’s experiment,” said Figueroa, 60, a resident of Orange Cove in California’s Central Valley.
The Southern California Gas Co. wants to blend hydrogen into the town’s gas infrastructure, after the state agency that regulates utilities directed them and other companies to launch pilot projects.
Proponents see it as a key to helping California reduce planet-warming pollution by curbing reliance on gas while integrating cleaner energy into existing infrastructure. It’s part of a statewide effort to create safety rules for hydrogen mixing.
But others say that it poses risks, and Orange Cove’s low-income residents say processes are happening without transparency or their input. Projects in states like Colorado and Oregon have also raised their concerns.
