CPUC Stops SoCalGas’ Angeles Link, Prioritizing Customer Protection

California regulators today halted Southern California Gas Company’s Angeles Link hydrogen pipeline proposal, citing concerns about how project costs would be recovered from residential gas customers across Southern California, including communities in Los Angeles County, Orange County and Riverside County. The project, first proposed in 2022, would have been the state’s first dedicated green hydrogen pipeline, serving industrial users in the Los Angeles Basin.

Environmental Defense Fund engaged throughout the proceeding to press for adequate environmental and economic guardrails. Hydrogen can play a role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from hard-to-electrify industrial sectors, but only when projects target the right uses, manage costs and deliver meaningful emissions reductions. 

“Today’s decision draws a clear red line. Residential customers should not subsidize speculative infrastructure for large industrial users,” said Michael Colvin, Director of the California Energy Program at Environmental Defense Fund. “We look forward to working with regulators, utilities and large customers to build a credible, cost-effective strategy to cut climate pollution from sectors that are hardest to electrify.” 

Learn more about EDF’s recommendations for what comes next in our latest blog post.