To the Editor:

Is the green hydrogen plant being proposed for Massena a good idea for northern New York? Given the increasing drought conditions in this country and the seasonal droughts that affect northern New York, I question whether taking huge amounts of water from the St. Lawrence River (nearly 1,000,000 gallons a DAY) and changing it to hydrogen is wise. This is not water that is returned to the environment like when we take a shower, prepare dinner, or water plants.  It is water that is turned into hydrogen and oxygen … our water is lost forever so there is less water in the atmosphere and more hydrogen. 

The Department of Energy “acknowledges that water consumption for H2Hubs could place additional stress on regional water resources.” In northern New York we are not experiencing the drought situation that exists in the west but we do have drought conditions here at times and it seems these would be worsened by a hydrogen plant that removes so much of our water from the environment. Before we accept a hydrogen plant locally, we should be sure that the plant does not affect the water supply for other essential purposes such as home use of water and agricultural use of water.

In other parts of the country, hydrogen plants are considering the adoption of seawater desalination to supply the millions of gallons of water needed every week for these plants. It is, however, probably cheaper to use the water from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River than to remove the salt from sea water but is it in our interest to allow hydrogen plants to use up our fresh water … again, not to use the water and then return it to the environment but to permanently remove it by making it into hydrogen and oxygen? How long would it be before northern New Yorkers started experiencing seasonal or more severe droughts? How would the proposed hydrogen plant affect local agriculture, tourism, and the enjoyment we get from our abundant fresh water?

I am not an expert on any of these issues and therefore would love to hear what local farmers, meteorologists, and environmental engineers think about the hydrogen plant and the approximately 1,000,000 gallons of fresh water we would lose every day.

It also seems possible that the 90 permanent jobs that the hydrogen plant would provide could instead be provided by a lithium battery plant or an electric vehicle plant or solar energy manufacturer. These types of manufacturing plants are currently being created all over the country by the Inflation Reduction Act. It seems like our Senators and Representatives could help us get some of this manufacturing in Massena or Ogdensburg.

Thank you,

Ann Lenney
South Colton