January 26, 2026

Central Plains Hydrogen

The Central Plains offer a Unique Hydrogen Opportunity A new idea about energy is emerging as one of the most important energy investments in some time: I am calling it…

Key Takeaways

Central Plains Hydrogen leverages regional strengths in agriculture and geology, promoting hydrogen production beyond just renewable sources.
Kansas could lead in geologic hydrogen extraction, which would dramatically shape its economy and potentially revitalize rural areas.
The Mid‑Continent Hydrogen Hub (MCH2) aims to create a collaborative hydrogen ecosystem across Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, attracting investment and supporting industry.
Hydrogen has practical advantages in the Central Plains, addressing challenges that renewable sources alone cannot, such as long-distance trucking and industrial heating.
A diversified hydrogen strategy promotes economic growth, energy independence, and attractiveness to new industries in the region.

The Central Plains offer a Unique Hydrogen Opportunity

A new idea about energy is emerging as one of the most important energy investments in some time: I am calling it Central Plains Hydrogen. Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, and Oklahoma are uniquely positioned to benefit from hydrogen’s evolution due to geology, industrial base, freight corridors, and agricultural economies. Unlike the restrictive narrative insisting hydrogen production must be tied exclusively to wind and solar power, the reality in the central plains is far more practical: hydrogen can succeed because it aligns with regional strengths, not ideological mandates.

Across these five states, hydrogen investment is being driven by pragmatism — not political fashion. And as hydrogen production, research, and infrastructure expand, the economic benefits for rural communities and industrial centers will become increasingly clear.

Kansas: A Region of Natural Hydrogen?

Kansas has unexpectedly become a national focal point for geologic hydrogen — naturally occurring hydrogen trapped underground. This young pursuit has drawn significant attention from investors and energy analysts because it could fundamentally change energy economics.

A report in the Rural Messenger describes how “hydrogen wildcatters” are now drilling exploratory wells in Kansas, betting that the Midcontinent Rift contains commercially viable hydrogen reserves. This is not electrolytic hydrogen tied to wind and solar farms; it is geologic hydrogen generated by natural processes deep underground. We hope. There is no proof it exists in extractable quantities or usable purities. Like the oil rush before, this is still wild speculation.

Why this matters economically

1. Kansas could become the first U.S. state to commercially extract natural hydrogen.
If successful, Kansas would gain a first‑mover advantage in a new mining industry — one that resembles early oil booms in scale and economic impact. It is a race to see who finds H₂, first!

2. It challenges the renewable‑only narrative.
Geologic hydrogen does not require massive wind or solar installations, transmission lines, or grid‑balancing infrastructure. It is a naturally occurring resource, requiring only the infrastructure to (safely) extract and transport it.

3. It revitalizes rural economies.
Drilling operations, mineral leases, service‑sector jobs, and landowner royalties inject money into rural counties that have struggled with depopulation and limited careers.

Kansas is positioned to become the “Spindletop of hydrogen,” and the economic changes could be instrumental to bright futures for struggling rural communities.

Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, and the Mid‑Continent Hydrogen Hub (MCH2)

Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri have already partnered to form the Mid‑Continent Hydrogen Hub (MCH2), a initiative designed to build a regional hydrogen ecosystem. The hub’s purpose is to support hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and industrial use across the tri‑state region.

MCH2 states its mission as helping communities “benefit from clean energy investments” through coordinated hydrogen development. The hub’s formation was publicly supported by state leaders, including the governors of Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri, who jointly announced their intent to pursue federal hydrogen‑hub funding.

Economic significance of MCH2

If it becomes a reality, it may position Nebraska and Missouri as central nodes in hydrogen distribution.
It attracts all manner of investments for pipelines, storage caverns, and industrial hydrogen users.
It strengthens agricultural supply chains, especially fertilizer production.
It diversifies energy sources beyond sometimes volatile global markets.

A Nebraska Public Power District briefing emphasized that MCH2 aims to build a “multi‑state hydrogen value chain” that supports heavy industry, transportation, and agriculture.

My critical view of the Green Hydrogen

MCH2’s public messaging seems to lean heavily on “clean hydrogen,” which is often interpreted as hydrogen produced exclusively from renewable electricity (wind / solar). The industry refers to this as “Green Hydrogen” as though it is completely free of environmental impact. Nonetheless, the real issue is that this approach is economically limiting:

Electrolysis is initially and operationally expensive.
Electrolysis is energy‑intensive.
Wind and solar require massive land footprints, impacting local ecosystems.
“Green” hydrogen is vulnerable to weather variability.

To be convinced, look at the prior “solutions” that promised Green Hydrogen and/or Green Anhydrous Ammonia to be produced on each farm. Those tied to green power also had unrealistic requirements for up to 30 acres of be set aside for solar PV.

The truth is that a diversified hydrogen strategy — not a renewable‑exclusive one — better serves the region’s economic interests. And the interests of the Country.

Kansas’ HARVEST Hydrogen Hub

Kansas is also advancing its own hydrogen‑hub initiative: the HARVEST Hydrogen Hub. This hub focuses on agricultural applications, heavy‑duty transportation, and industrial heat — all areas where hydrogen outperforms electrification.

Kansas agriculture is energy‑intensive. Hydrogen‑powered tractors, grain dryers, and ammonia production could reduce operating costs without forcing farmers into expensive electric equipment that performs poorly in rural environments.

Hydrogen aligns with Kansas’ agricultural economy far better than renewable‑only mandates.

Colorado: Research, Industrial Hydrogen, and Technical Leadership

Colorado has also acknowledged the promise of Hydrogen. Colorado’s hydrogen pursuit is driven by:

National laboratories (NREL, NOAA, etc.)
A strong engineering workforce
Existing natural‑gas infrastructure
A growing industrial base

Colorado is investing in hydrogen for:

Industrial heat

Hydrogen can replace natural gas in high‑temperature manufacturing processes where electrification is inefficient or impossible.

Heavy‑duty transportation

Many assume that the end is in sight for Diesel Power. If so, Colorado’s freight corridors and mountainous terrain make battery‑electric trucks impractical. What other propulsion if not diesel? Natural Gas? Gasoline? Both are impractical, when hydrogen fuel‑cell trucks offer longer range, faster refueling, and better cold‑weather performance.

A Mike Bahr Sidebar

I personally believe in the promise of combining Diesel and Hydrogen in two ways:

Used as a Diesel sweetener, burning both fuels in the same combustion process.
Used to fuel the dreaded Diesel Regen of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).

Research and innovation

Colorado’s national labs are developing advanced electrolyzers, storage materials, and fuel‑cell technologies. While the state’s political leadership often prioritizes renewables, its technical community seems to recognize hydrogen’s broader pragmatic potential.

Oklahoma: Hydrogen as an Extension of the Oil & Gas Economy

Oklahoma is one of the most energy‑literate states in the country. Its oil and gas workforce, pipeline network, and geological storage capacity make it a natural hydrogen leader.

Key advantages

Extensive salt caverns ideal for hydrogen storage
Expertise with pipelines
Industrial users (refineries, ammonia plants)
A pro‑business regulatory environment

Oklahoma’s hydrogen strategy is pragmatic: use existing natural‑gas resources to produce hydrogen while integrating cleaner production methods as they become cost‑competitive. This stands in contrast to political ideologically led policies that attempt to force immediate transitions to renewables, first, regardless of cost or feasibility.

Why Hydrogen Fits the Central Plains Better Than Renewable‑Only Strategies

The Central Plains share several characteristics:

Large rural land areas
Heavy agricultural and industrial loads
Long‑distance freight corridors
Harsh weather extremes
Existing fossil‑fuel infrastructure

These realities make a renewable‑only energy strategy unrealistic.

Hydrogen solves problems that renewables cannot

Challenge	Renewables	Hydrogen
Long‑distance trucking	Battery weight and charging time are difficult	Excellent fit — fast refueling, long range
Industrial heat	Electrification is inefficient	Hydrogen burns hot and clean
Seasonal storage	Requires massive battery banks	Hydrogen stores energy for months
Rural land use	Requires huge land footprints – HUGE	Hydrogen can use existing infrastructure
Grid reliability	Intermittent	Dispatchable, storable, transportable

I think that Hydrogen complements the region’s strengths rather than fighting them.

Economic Impact Across the Five‑State Region

Hydrogen investment is already reshaping local economies.

Job creation

Hydrogen hubs, drilling operations, pipeline retrofits, and industrial conversions create:

Engineering jobs
Skilled trades positions
Construction work
Logistics and transportation roles

Rural revitalization

Geologic hydrogen exploration will bring new revenue streams to counties that have struggled for decades. Local offices of economic development should be paying attention!

Industrial competitiveness

Hydrogen enables:

Cheaper fertilizer production
Cleaner steel and cement manufacturing
More efficient grain drying
Lower‑cost freight operations

Energy independence

Locally produced hydrogen obviously reduces reliance on imported fuels and volatile global markets.

Attraction of new industries

Companies seeking low‑carbon fuels or reliable industrial energy are already scouting hydrogen‑hub regions. Simply producing H₂could trigger new economic growth!

A Critical View of Green-Hydrogen Policies

Common energy policy often insists that hydrogen must be produced exclusively from renewable electricity. This approach is:

An attempt to support the agenda for renewable energy on the back of Hydrogen
Economically inefficient
Effectively stalls Hydrogen until the renewable infrastructure is complete
Misaligned with strengths of the Central Plains

Pragmatically, Hydrogen aligns with the region’s industrial base, freight corridors, and agricultural economy. A renewable‑only mandate requires much more investment into renewable energy, first. If Hydrogen is the goal, why the diversion into renewables?

The Future: A Hydrogen‑Powered Regional Economy

I believe that Hydrogen’s evolution will reshape Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, and Oklahoma in several transformative ways. Please indulge me to restate them clearly:

1. A new extraction industry in Kansas

Geologic hydrogen could become a multi‑billion‑dollar sector (Guest Columnist, 2024).

2. A multi‑state hydrogen corridor

Fuel‑cell trucks could move freight from Denver to Kansas City to Tulsa without relying on a slow EV charging infrastructure.

3. Agricultural integration

Hydrogen‑powered tractors, grain dryers, and ammonia production will reduce farm operating costs within the grain-basket.

4. Industrial decarbonization without economic sacrifice

Hydrogen allows industries to reduce emissions without shutting down or relocating, or in many instances, not changing processes.

5. Regional energy leadership

The Central Plains could become the nation’s hydrogen heartland — exporting fuel, technology, and expertise.

Parting Thoughts

In many ways, the rush to Hydrogen feels like the space race: There are many experiments being attempted on the back of taxpayer funding. That moment in time has passed. Today, I believe that public investment is useful to explore untested ideas based on scientifically proven conditions, or good ideas that clearly have a chance at returning investment to the public. We should be wary of those ideas that require long-term public investment to continue operation.

The Central Plains stand to benefit from whatever course is taken to fund Hydrogen. The rest of the nation will follow.

Was this informative? Take a look through my other articles to learn even more!