DOER previews hydrogen roadmap; Environmental Justice Council presses for water, safety and equity safeguards

The Department of Energy Resources on Wednesday outlined a draft hydrogen roadmap and asked the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Council for input as the agency balances clean-energy goals with local public‑safety and equity concerns.

David Lutz, renewable energy coordinator at DOER, said hydrogen can play a “small part” of the Commonwealth’s 2050 decarbonization strategy and described potential uses in “hard‑to‑electrify” sectors such as heavy‑duty trucking, maritime transport and some industrial high‑heat processes. "Hydrogen has a very high energy content and has a potential to emit no carbon emissions when deployed properly," Lutz said, adding that the state will prioritize electrification while treating hydrogen as a complementary option.

The presentation explained production pathways — green hydrogen from electrolysis, hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture, nuclear‑based production and biogas sources — and noted that federal definitions and incentives (including a pending federal production tax credit and prior Department of Energy hydrogen hub solicitations) will influence which production methods are viable in practice. Lutz said Massachusetts is coordinating with neighboring states after an earlier multistate bid for a DOE hydrogen hub was unsuccessful.

Council members, public commenters and DOER staff repeatedly returned to three themes: definitions, localized impacts, and public engagement. Members urged the agency to include an explicit definition of "clean" or "low‑carbon" hydrogen in the roadmap, to require community‑benefits plans tied to any state incentives, and to assess cumulative pollution and siting risks before endorsing projects.

"Combustion can produce higher NOx emissions than natural gas," Lutz acknowledged in response to council questions about local air‑quality impacts, emphasizing that controls and permitting requirements would be necessary where hydrogen is burned. He also pointed to existing safety guidance: Massachusetts has adopted National Fire Protection Association hydrogen standards (NFPA 2) and will train local building and public‑safety officials on storage and handling protocols.

Water use also featured prominently. Council members asked whether electrolysis requires potable water and whether wastewater or nonpotable sources could be substituted. Lutz said some nonpotable sources can be used after treatment, but siting proposals near major reservoirs would require careful review. Public commenters raised related concerns in the chat and Q&A: "what goes into the air when it lights on fire and what ends up in the water?" one commenter asked, signaling unresolved technical questions about combustion and runoff risks.

Speakers also emphasized the need for earlier, plain‑language education. DOER staff said the roadmap itself is intended to include an environmental‑justice and equity plan and that the agency aims to produce a readable 30–40 page document for public comment in late August or early September. Several council members recommended that the state publish explanatory materials and visuals before site‑by‑site decisions are considered so that affected communities can meaningfully engage.

Public commenters from Holyoke and Western Massachusetts stressed the urgency of reducing local pollution and raised equity concerns about infrastructure costs, ratepayer impacts and historical burdens on EJ communities. Rick Purcell of Holyoke said locally driven carbon‑neutral efforts should move faster than 2050 and warned against projects that shift costs to disadvantaged communities. "Gas is a pollutant. It's not clean energy," Purcell said.

DOER representatives said the roadmap will recommend specific actions, potential funding priorities and policy changes — and that advisory groups, including an environmental hydrogen advisory group and the Justice40 working group, will feed into the draft before a public comment period. The department also noted that much hydrogen production may occur out of state, increasing the importance of regional coordination around transportation and storage.

Procedural business: the council approved the previous meeting's minutes after a motion to approve; several members recorded abstentions, noting absence from the prior meeting. The council set its next meeting for July 11 in Lynn.

The roadmap process will continue with advisory‑group input and a planned public comment period; council members and public commenters asked DOER to return with clearer technical assessments on water, combustion emissions, cumulative impacts and plain‑language outreach before any incentives or siting decisions are finalized.