As California stares down the twin crises of climate chaos and environmental injustice, a new “green hydrogen” project in Vernon has quietly emerged, promising a cleaner future. But behind the slick promotional video and sustainability buzzwords lies a troubling story of extraction, opacity, and exploitation of frontline communities already drowning in pollution.
Avina Clean Hydrogen, a company positioning itself as a leader in renewable hydrogen, recently announced a hydrogen production facility in Vernon, California — claiming access to a “continuous supply of water and power” for producing clean hydrogen. On the surface, this sounds like a climate win. In reality, it’s yet another example of a false solution wrapped in green packaging.
Clean hydrogen — often referred to as green hydrogen — is produced by splitting water molecules (H₂O) using renewable electricity through a process called electrolysis. When powered by solar, wind, or other carbon-free sources, the result is zero-emission hydrogen.
But there’s a catch. If the electricity comes from fossil fuels, or if the water is sourced unsustainably, the result is anything but clean. It’s greenwashed hydrogen. And unfortunately, that appears to be the case with the Avina Vernon project.
Electrolyzers are extremely energy-intensive. Producing just one kilogram of hydrogen requires about 50–55 kWh of electricity. To truly be green, this electricity must come from verified renewable sources.
But Vernon Light & Power, the municipal utility serving the city, still relies heavily on fossil fuels, especially gas and market purchases. There are no public commitments from Avina to source 100% renewable electricity through power purchase agreements (PPAs) or onsite solar. And the facility site itself shows no indication of rooftop solar or battery storage.
That’s a major red flag. This suggests the hydrogen produced will be powered — at least in part — by fossil fuel electricity. And that means the facility’s climate claims are not only misleading, but dangerously so.
The process of making hydrogen doesn’t just need electricity. It also demands water — a lot of it. To create 1 kilogram of hydrogen, you need roughly 9 liters of ultrapure water.
Vernon’s water supply is already strained. The city draws from a mix of contaminated local groundwater and imports from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), which relies on the shrinking Colorado River. The region’s water infrastructure is energy-intensive and vulnerable to climate variability. Nearly 20% of California’s electricity use is tied to the movement, treatment, and delivery of water.
Using potable or even groundwater sources for hydrogen production in this context is not just irresponsible — it’s extractive.
Vernon may have a tiny residential population, but it sits at the heart of one of the most environmentally overburdened regions in California. Adjacent communities like Maywood, Huntington Park, Bell, Boyle Heights, and Commerce are home to tens of thousands of low-income, primarily Latino residents.
These neighborhoods rank in the 90th to 100th percentile on CalEnviroScreen for pollution burden and drinking water vulnerability. Maywood was once dubbed “the only city in California without a city-run water system.” Residents continue to buy bottled water despite paying high utility bills.
Under California’s Human Right to Water Act, passed in 2012, every person has the right to clean, affordable, and accessible water. But in Vernon and nearby areas, that right is still not realized.
Vernon’s industrial base has long prioritized profit over people. The Avina hydrogen plant seems poised to follow suit. There is no mention of:
Better solutions like virtual power plants (VPPs), rooftop solar, and battery storage reduce pollution, empower residents, and don’t compete with water needs. These great solutions don’t require greenwashing — they deliver clean results.
Across the country, hydrogen is being hyped as the next clean energy revolution. But without transparency, regulation, and equity safeguards, most of these projects fall into the trap of greenwashing.
Rather than decarbonize, they delay. Rather than uplift, they exploit. That’s not climate action — that’s climate chaos.
California must raise the bar. Here’s what we need:
No permits, no tax credits, and no “green” label should be granted unless these criteria are met.
California has plenty of proven tools to fight the climate crisis: distributed solar, energy storage, resilience hubs, and electrified transit. These are great solutions that reduce emissions, empower communities, and protect natural resources.
Hydrogen may have a niche — in steel or shipping, for example — but it must be truly clean, not just marketed as such.
The Avina project in Vernon is not a climate solution. It’s a distraction. Unless major course corrections are made, it will deepen inequity and environmental harm — all while calling itself clean.
We must demand better. Not just better energy, but better values. Because clean energy is not clean if it harms the people who need justice the most.