Opinion: Why Irvine Residents Should Say NO to SoCalGas’s Dangerous Hydrogen Blending Proposal at UC Irvine
A controversial proposal by SoCalGas and UC Irvine could put thousands of students, faculty, workers, and nearby residents in danger—and stick ratepayers with the nearly $27 million bill.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is considering SoCalGas’s request to test hydrogen blending in gas pipelines and appliances at UC Irvine. This means mixing flammable hydrogen with fossil gas and burning it inside UC Irvine buildings—including student and community recreation facilities and demonstration kitchens, underneath streets and sidewalks, and near student dormitories and preschools—on a densely populated public campus.
Why is this happening? The gas industry, threatened by the push to electrification, is promoting hydrogen to create doubt about electrification to keep their profits and pollution flowing. This project, and four others across the state are designed to create a model for expensive and dangerous hydrogen/methane blending.
Why This Project Poses Serious Risks
Hydrogen is not just another fuel. According to safety experts and researchers, it behaves very differently from “natural” methane gas—and those differences matter:
- Hydrogen is four times more explosive than methane when leaked indoors, according to a U.K. government study cited by Recharge News. The report concluded that hydrogen used in homes would be four times more dangerous than natural gas, with significantly higher risks of fires and explosions.
- Hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe, making it much more prone to leaking from pipes and valves. Leaks can go undetected due to hydrogen’s colorless, odorless flames, which are invisible in daylight.
- Burning hydrogen emits lung-damaging nitrogen oxides (NOx) at levels that can exceed those of natural gas, contributing to smog, asthma, and respiratory illness—especially harmful to children and people with preexisting health conditions.
These findings are backed by a Clean Energy Group fact sheet, which states that hydrogen blending is “a distraction from building electrification” and offers “no greenhouse gas benefit at low blend levels.” The fact sheet warns that hydrogen blending:
- Offers minimal climate benefit
- Increases explosion risks
- Produces more NOx
- Requires expensive infrastructure changes
Medical Experts Agree: Hydrogen Blending Is a Health Hazard
In 2022, the American Medical Association adopted a formal resolution opposing hydrogen blending in homes and buildings, citing the health and safety risks of NOx emissions, explosion hazards, and inequitable impacts on frontline communities. The AMA called for investment in building electrification instead of gas-based hydrogen experiments. Physicians for Social Responsibility has also issued strong warnings and reports against hydrogen blending for use in homes and buildings, citing significant risks to both health and the climate.
The groups’ positions track with a report published by San Francisco-based climate think-tank Energy Innovation, which also warned about the risks of explosion and NOx emissions from hydrogen blending and space heating.
Even without hydrogen blending, gas appliances pose well-documented threats to our health. Multiple studies from Stanford and Harvard have linked natural gas stoves to increased risks of asthma and cancer in children, primarily due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene emissions. One study from Stanford found that gas stoves can emit benzene, a known carcinogen, at levels comparable to secondhand smoke. Another study, also from Stanford, concluded that gas stoves contribute to 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the US. Peer-reviewed studies from Harvard’s School of Public Health have found that gas stoves can leak and expose people to unsafe levels of air pollution even when not in use. Last year, a Harvard study concluded that there is “No safe amount of exposure” to gas stove pollution.
Ratepayers Will Be Forced to Fund This Dangerous Experiment
SoCalGas is requesting CPUC approval to recover nearly $27 million in costs for the UC Irvine experiment through customer utility bills. That means Orange County families, students, and businesses would be forced to subsidize a corporate experiment that puts public health and safety at risk. As of January 2024, 1.2 million SoCalGas customers were behind on their gas bills.
UC San Diego Said No — Why Is UC Irvine Saying Yes?
A similar hydrogen blending proposal was floated for UC San Diego—but the campus refused to host the project. As a result, SDG&E moved its hydrogen test to an industrial facility miles from campus. So why is UC Irvine allowing this risky project near preschools, dormitories, and classrooms?
A Public Hearing Designed to Exclude the Public
Both UC Irvine’s undergraduate and graduate student government organizations have adopted formal resolutions opposing hydrogen blending at UC Irvine, but their voices are being ignored. And to make matters worse, the CPUC has scheduled its only public hearings in Irvine in the middle of UC Irvine’s summer break, when nearly all 30,000 undergraduate students are off campus. According to campus residents, SoCalGas also has not posted
This means most students—those who will be most affected by this project—won’t be present, and many already don’t know that this project is happening. Holding a critical public hearing when students are away violates the principles of transparency, accessibility, and public accountability.
Follow the Money: SoCalGas Has Given Millions to UC Irvine
According to a Freedom of Information Act request, the fossil fuel industry has funneled $3.5 million in donations and $5.3 million in grants to UC Irvine, with SoCalGas responsible for nearly $2.5 million of the gifts, and most of those funds going to the UC Irvine Advanced Power & Energy Program, a perennial hydrogen cheerleader. This raises serious concerns about conflicts of interest and the university’s role in advancing SoCalGas’ profit-driven agenda. A study published in the journal Nature finds that favorability toward “natural” gas in academic research is tied to the funding sources of university energy centers.
Make Your Voice Heard: Attend the Public Hearing
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
2:00 PM and 6:00 PM
University High School, Multipurpose Room
4771 Campus Drive, Irvine
In-person only — no virtual option.
Can’t attend in person? Submit a public comment online:
https://apps.cpuc.ca.gov/apex/f?p=401:56::::RP,57,RIR:P5_PROCEEDING_SELECT:A2209006
Click “Add a Public Comment”
Irvine Deserves Better
This hydrogen blending project is dangerous, expensive, and unnecessary. UC Irvine students and Irvine residents deserve the same protections as those at UC San Diego. We should not allow our community to become a test site for risky fossil fuel experiments—especially behind students’ backs, while they’re away.
Learn more: https://www.climateactioncampaign.org/uci
