Taylor Hersch, Author at ��

Arizona tourism showing strong recovery

Taylor Hersch — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:36:01 +0000

The Arizona Office of Tourism recently released new research reaffirming that Arizona has solidified its status as a top-tier travel destination.

Research shows that the state is ahead of the national average in post-pandemic tourism recovery.

In calendar year 2021, Arizona outpaced the national rate for both visitor spending and overnight stays. Arizona recovered 87% of its 2019 overnight visitor rate and 92% of the 2019 visitor spending rate.

Additionally, overnight visitors spent $23.6 billion across the state of Arizona, which falls just short of the all-time high mark set in 2019 of $25.6 billion. The 2021 data indicates visitors spent $64.7 million per day.

“It’s no surprise to see droves of people coming to visit our state. Tourism in Arizona directly translates into economic benefits for communities statewide,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said. “This is a huge testament to the efforts of Director Debbie Johnson, the AOT team and all the hard-working people across Arizona’s tourism industry.”

On the county level, tourism numbers are starting to trend upwards as well. In 2021, 8 of 15 counties fully recovered or surpassed 2019 levels in visitor spending.

The year-over-year increase in tourism from 2020 to 2021 brought in $3.4 billion in federal, state and local taxes. Tourism-generated revenues reduced the tax burden per household in

“Arizona’s tourism industry continues to do an outstanding job of marketing our state’s amazing experiences and wide-open spaces to leisure travelers,” said Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “There’s strong competition and plenty of work ahead, but we’re very happy that visitors are seeing and selecting Arizona as one of their favorite vacation destinations.”

While the tourism industry is still working to recover to the levels that it was at in 2019, which is regarded as the banner year for Arizona tourism, the research points toward positive growth and recovery in the state for the industry. In the last quarter of 2021, domestic overnight visitation levels surpassed those in the same time frame in 2019 by 1.2%.

The Arizona Office of Tourism is continuing to promote visitation to the state. These efforts include ongoing visitor marketing campaigns, supporting industry partners and communities with strategic planning and promoting sustainable and responsible tourism.

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Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry inks agreement with Israeli counterpart

Taylor Hersch — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 17:04:46 +0000

Arizona’s most influential business advocacy organization signed an agreement with Israel’s leading business group to collaborate on areas of shared interest. The signing between the Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry and the Federation of Israeli ��s of Commerce was part of an Arizona delegation to Israel last week led by Gov. Doug Ducey.

The Federation, founded in 1919, is an independent, nonprofit organization and is the leading economic organization for the trade and service sector. The FICC represents more than 5,000 businesses that operate in 120 different sectors. The Federation is an umbrella organization for six regional chambers of commerce in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva, Eilat, and Nazareth.

The memorandum of understanding between the two business groups says they will collaborate to “strengthen trade, technological and industrial cooperation.”

“I was proud to sign this agreement with Israel’s largest business organization,” Arizona �� President and CEO Danny Seiden said. “From our shared focus on water stewardship and procuring new water sources, to our strong aerospace & defense and technology sectors, Israel and Arizona have so much in common that entering into this agreement for our two business advocacy organizations to work with one another made perfect sense.”

The trip marked Gov. Ducey’s third visit to Israel as governor. In 2015 he became the first Arizona governor to lead a delegation to Israel. That trip included a speech before WATEC, the world’s most recognized gathering of water experts, where he discussed Arizona and Israel’s shared focus on water stewardship as two growing, advanced economies in dry, arid climates.

The most recent trip began May 29 and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Isaac Herzog, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, as well as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visits to Nazareth, the Tomb of Patriarchs, the Living 9/11 Memorial, the Western Wall, and other cultural and historic sites.

The �� has sought to strengthen the Arizona business community’s ties with Israel over the years.

Ducey in 2019 signed legislation supported by the Arizona �� to open an Arizona trade office in Israel, which a bipartisan delegation of 18 state lawmakers officially opened in November of that year.

The �� also supported legislation signed by Ducey to oppose the BDS movement – which encourages institutions to boycott, divest, or sell Israeli-related assets – an effort by anti-Israel activists to isolate the country economically.

Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee last year used her authority under that law to sell off Arizona’s bond holdings in Unilever PLC, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, after the ice cream company announced it wouldn’t sell its products in certain Israeli territories.

�� CEO Seiden earlier this year conducted a fireside chat with Dr. Hillel Newman, the Israel consul general to Los Angeles, before an audience of the Phoenix Council on Foreign Relations. Newman also addressed the state Legislature during his Arizona visit.

Also, the �� in 2018 convened a special water conference in conjunction with the U.S. �� and several Israeli water experts to examine best practices in water technology.

Water has been a major theme of the governor’s visits to Israel. This year’s trip included a visit to an Israeli.

“The opportunity to see how Israel has made desalination a reality to secure the country’s water future was fascinating and inspiring,” Seiden said. “The governor during his State of the State address in January discussed his belief that desalination should be a part of Arizona’s water stewardship strategy. Having seen the promise of the technology up close, I am confident that the future of Arizona’s water security has arrived.”

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New policy brief examines K-12 transportation, effect of modernization grants

Taylor Hersch — Thu, 19 May 2022 17:22:27 +0000

Education reform group A for Arizona recently released a policy brief entitled “Driving Excellence,” which examines the current state of K-12 transportation and the impact that the Transportation Modernization Grant Program (TMGP) has had. Arizona has long been a leader in student-centered education with robust offerings of schooling models.

However, antiquated student transportation systems have largely been ignored during this transformative process. Last year, the Arizona Legislature and Governor Ducey recognized this need for change in school transportation programs and created the Transportation Modernization Grant Program to challenge entrepreneurial leaders to propose and implement “efficient, safe, cost-effective and student appropriate options.”

“The current system built around the 80-passenger yellow school bus as the sole strategy has made it difficult and expensive for school leaders to update how students are safely transported to and from school,” said Emily Anne Gullickson, Founder and CEO of A for Arizona. “Two challenges that repeatedly came up during our conversations with school leaders were the bus driver shortage and the desire to rethink expensive but crucial transportation strategies and equipment from the ground up. It is no surprise that when we gave Arizona’s school, business, and local leaders permission and seed funding to think boldly, they rose to the occasion and delivered for thousands of students and families in rural, urban, and suburban communities throughout the state.”

The Transportation Modernization Grant Program, launched in FY2022, was allocated $20 million of state funding. During the first application cycle, 71 district and charter systems, nonprofits, and local governments, representing each of the 15 counties, applied for over $50 million to move forward with their solution to the transportation issues currently facing Arizona’s education system.

In the first awarding cycle, the program doled out over $18 million across 24 proposals.

The winning solutions aim to provide direct support to families in need through grants, increase the use of high-efficiency vehicles to drive down the costs associated with student transportation, and develop innovative approaches to creating technology that will better communicate with parents and guardians and create more efficient routes.

The brief highlights the lessons learned from the past grant year and makes five policy recommendations for the state and national entities looking to tackle K-12 transit barriers in their own states.

Policy Recommendation #1

Create a system that is more flexible to address the issues that have arisen.

“Overly rigid regulations from a long-past era leave schools twisting themselves into pretzels to find the sweet spot that allows them to use funding to right size their fleets to save money while also having the regulatory freedom to actually use these more efficient and easier to staff vehicles,” the brief says.

Ensuring that both the regulatory environment and funding going to transportation are flexible allows for a variety of different transportation solutions to be adopted.

Policy Recommendation #2

Creating an environment where schools and districts can make the decisions that will best serve their student population through both funding and regulatory restraints.

“The micro transit solutions from the grant proposals beautifully illustrate the need and breadth of possible solutions,” the brief says.

Policy Recommendation #3

Make dedicated funding available to all public school models that provide transportation programming to their students.

“Authorize options to provide charter schools the same dedicated funding that districts enjoy when charter schools provide transportation to their students. Without this, charter school students and families are not being provided the same opportunity of access.”

Policy Recommendation #4

Promote and allow collaboration between school systems and community partners to address transportation problems.

“Common transportation gaps across communities include getting high school students to and from career training, clubs and work as well as after school opportunities for students of all ages. Partnering with other school systems and community partners for shared transportation solutions is cost effective, limits the need for new drivers, and is easier on students.”

Policy Recommendation #5

Work to regularly update and modernize the transportation infrastructure and regulatory frameworks on the state and federal level in order to keep up with the ever-changing technology.

“One-time funds to pilot new strategies before permanently redirecting existing budgets toward in-lieu, rideshare, smaller vehicles or other strategies that charter schools and districts are trying for the first time allows modernization and innovation without risking operational funds,” the brief says. “Having to pilot ideas with committed operational funding leads schools to hanging on to old equipment and strategies past their useful life.”

To read the full brief,

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New acquisition by Universal Technical Institute expands reach into healthcare

Taylor Hersch — Tue, 10 May 2022 18:34:33 +0000

Universal Technical Institute is expanding its career education offerings, recently announcing it has entered into an agreement with Concorde Career Colleges to expand UTI’s career-focused education brand into certificate, credential and degree-granting healthcare programs.

Concorde Career Colleges is a leading provider of healthcare education programs focused on preparing the next generation of healthcare workers for the growing workforce. The company currently serves 7,400 students over 8 states.

“The acquisition of Concorde Career Colleges will be a significant next step in our previously announced growth and diversification strategy,” Universal Technical Institute CEO Jerome Grant said. “We take the responsibility of becoming one of this country’s leading workforce solutions providers seriously, and entering the healthcare space allows us to help even more students and support employers as they seek to solve some of their toughest workforce-related challenges. Concorde’s programs, geographic footprint, solid leadership team, exemplary faculty and staff, diverse student body, tight industry alignment, and strong alumni network make this acquisition a great fit.”

The expansion comes when the healthcare sector is expecting to see an due to attrition in the workforce and an aging population. The diploma and degree offerings of Concorde currently include nursing, dental hygiene, and other patient direct care fields such as physical therapy assistant and respiratory therapy.

This expansion into the healthcare industry is a significant expansion for Universal Technical Institute’s growth and diversification plan. UTI, Inc.’s brand family currently includes skilled trade programs such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute and MIAT College of Technology.

“Universal Technical Institute’s brands have a great reputation with both employers and students in transportation and skilled trades. Concorde Career Colleges has a strong reputation in healthcare education, making this an excellent combination for addressing the nation’s skills gap,” Concorde CEO Jami Frazier said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to join this organization and become one of the preeminent educational providers in the country.”

The addition of Concorde Career Colleges will bring the company’s total students served to approximately 20,000 over 14 states and 31 different locations. The schools to be acquired from Concorde are accredited by either the Accrediting Commision of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) or the Council on Occupational Education (COE).

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Inflation driving up costs for health systems according to new report

Taylor Hersch — Mon, 09 May 2022 16:30:12 +0000

A new examines the massive surge in input costs for hospitals and health systems due to inflation and dramatic growth in expenses in the medical field.

The rising costs of inflation along with the continued strain of the COVID-19 pandemic on both the workforce and supply chains have led to ongoing challenges for the American healthcare system.

“America’s hospitals and health systems, and our caregivers, have been on the front lines in fighting the pandemic for over two years now, facing numerous challenges along the way,” AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said. “While we have made great progress in the fight against the virus, this report shows that we are not out of the woods yet when it comes to addressing the need to repair and rebuild our hospitals. The dramatic rise in costs of labor, drugs, supplies and equipment continue to put enormous pressure on our ability to provide care to our patients and communities. The pandemic has clearly demonstrated that America cannot be strong without its hospitals and health systems being strong.”

A survey of healthcare workers found that half of the respondents felt “burned out.” This sentiment is shown through a sustained decline in hospital employment, which is currently 100,000 workers lower than the pre-pandemic era.

The combination of employee burnout, turnover, and staff leaving the workforce has forced an increase in the use of contract staffing firms, which has driven up the cost of labor.

In the pre-pandemic era, hospitals spent a median of 4.7% of labor expenses on contract travel nurses. The AHA report finds that the median now sits at 38.6%. This increase was also accompanied by a 213% rise in the cost that contract staffing firms were billing hospitals for an hourly rate.

Labor costs account for roughly 50% of hospitals’ total expenses, meaning that a slight increase in these figures can have drastic effects on a hospital’s operating margin.

Rising inflation costs and supply chain issues have also negatively impacted the cost of drug expenses. In comparison to pre-pandemic levels, the cost of drugs on a per-patient basis rose 36.9%. The negative impacts also expanded to medical supply expenses which grew 20.6% through the end of 2021 in comparison to 2019.

The report also showed that economy-wide costs have had a concerning effect on the health system. In April 2021, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) had the largest 12-month increase since September of 2008. The CPI-U hit a 40-year high in February 2022.

The effects that it these economic pressures are expected to have on the healthcare system include:

Labor costs and retention
- As the cost of living increases, the demand for higher wages and more competitive benefits to offset it are expected to increase.
Supply chain costs
- Both inflation and supply chain shortages are predicted to impact the care patterns for patients and put additional burdens on overworked staff
Capital investment costs
- Hospitals have already invested heavily in expanding capacity to treat patients during the pandemic (e.g., constructing spaces for testing and isolation of COVID-19 patients). Additionally, a historically large increase in inflation has resulted in increases in interest rates, which may hamper borrowing options and add to overall costs.
Decreased consumer demand
- Higher inflation costs are expected to result in a decreased demand for health care services which will be traded for necessities such as food and transportation

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Border security and global competitiveness in spotlight on panel with Gov. Ducey, Iowa’s Ernst and former national security advisor

Taylor Hersch — Thu, 05 May 2022 19:15:58 +0000

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Robert O’Brien, the former national security advisor, discussed border security, the crisis in Ukraine, global competitiveness and more on last week in Phoenix organized by the Bastion Institute and moderated by Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden.

The border crisis

O’Brien, the 27th national security advisor, spoke on the important distinction between the ongoing conversation over immigration and the national security implications of the situation at the border.

“What folks don’t understand about the border issue is that it’s not an immigration issue. It gets conflated with it for political wins, but it’s a national security issue,” O’Brien said. “Additionally, it’s a public health situation. These people are coming to the border where there is no testing, no mask, and no vaccination card required.”

Ernst said the illicit drug trade occurring at the border affects the entire country.

“We’ve stopped traffickers that have enough fentanyl to kill every United States citizen,” she said. “To have a sovereign country you have to have borders that are being controlled.”

Globalization and competitiveness

All the panelists agreed on the importance of increasing domestic manufacturing as a means of lessening the U.S.’ reliance on foreign supply chains.

O’Brien cited his concern over the U.S.’ ability to access silicon chips.

“We’ve allowed our supply chain to be outsourced,” O’Brien said. “It’s one thing to outsource with our allies and trust partners. But we need to onshore to the extent that we can.”

Under Gov. Ducey, Arizona has successfully recruited companies that are looking to onshore their work in the U.S. Recent economic development wins for the state include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) new facility in North Phoenix and the expansion of Intel in Chandler, both multi-billion-dollar investments.

Gov. Ducey said that the goal is to “repatriate manufacturing back to North America. A strong North America is going to be more powerful, peaceful and productive.”

Ernst stressed the importance of the federal government maintaining a soft touch when it comes to economic regulations, citing the need for the U.S. to domestically extract the critical minerals necessary for technological components.

“Our role as the federal government should be that we are encouraging American innovation and competitiveness,” she said. “When you have a government that is so prohibitive when it comes to mining and drilling, we’re not going to be able to compete with near-peer competitors.”

The war in Ukraine

Ernst discussed the economic impact of the war between Ukraine and Russia and its effect on the U.S. and our national security interests in the region.

“Our markets are dependent on stabilization in Europe,” she said. “We have some oversight to deal with it in Congress. We need to win the war there so it doesn’t spread.”

Gov. Ducey spoke to the duty the U.S. has to help other democracies saying, “Ukraine’s cause is our cause. We can get materials and weapons to the people who are ready and eager to use them.”

O’Brien said the world is closely watching the U.S.’ reaction to the war and its level of intervention. If other countries’ leaders believe that Putin has gotten away with this invasion, they will follow suit, he said.

“What we’re doing in Ukraine is telling for the Pacific,” he said, referring to China. “We’ve got to get serious about helping Ukraine because that sends a message.”

The panel concluded with optimistic sentiments about the future of the United States, its institutions and its role in the world.

“America is fundamentally strong. We’re going through a tough time; we have before and we’ll get through it again,” O’Brien said.

The Bastion Institute, the event organizer, is focused on promoting the importance of America’s engagement and strength abroad and the impact that has on Americans here at home.

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Event examines how child care challenges weigh on broader economy

Taylor Hersch — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:51:59 +0000

A lack of access to affordable child care could prove to be a challenge for employers who want to bring workers back to the office and for the broader economy, according to a report discussed at an Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry event last week.

Aaron Merchen, the director for policies and programs at the U.S. �� of Commerce Foundation’s Center for Education and Workforce, discussed these findings and more from the foundation’s “,” released in 2021 by the USCCF in partnership with the Arizona ��.

According to the report, Arizona’s estimated annual loss due to child care issues is $1.77 billion. That includes $1.42 billion for the cost of employee absence and turnover costs and $348 million in estimated losses in tax revenue.

“These childcare breakdowns are preventing working parents from getting a promotion, finding that higher education, going to grad school,” Merchen said.

The report also revealed that employers are starting to see childcare as a bigger issue for their workforce. One in 3 employers surveyed said that a lack of childcare was “a great deal responsible” for employees’ reduced productivity. Additionally, 65% of employers surveyed said that government incentives would most motivate employers to offer more child care assistance for workers.

The ability to be flexible and increase the workforce in the childcare industry is something that Merchen said requires additional work.

“The most effective childcare system will not be found in one-size-fits all solution, but rather a range of offerings that focus on addressing access, affordability, and quality,” he said.

Michael Wisehart, director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, discussed the fundamental ways the economy and the relationship to work have changed as a result of the pandemic.

“One of the things we know, we can either have progress or we can regress, but we can’t go back to the way that it was before,” Wisehart said.

Since the onset of COVID, Congress has sought to stabilize the childcare industry with an influx of Child Care and Development Fund money. Arizona-specific programs like the essential workers scholarship program have been working in tandem with the federal programs to ensure affordable childcare for Arizonans.

“Because of the support, Arizona hasn’t seen a decline in the number of childcare centers,” Lela Wendell, assistant director of the Arizona Child Care Administration, said. “I think that speaks to the support that the state has given, because in other states that number has gone down dramatically.”

Both Wendell and Wisehart spoke to the importance of the business community’s help in addressing challenges in child care. Whether by providing child care in the workplace, increasing partnerships at the university level for child care positions or issuing scholarships for those attempting to go back to school, the partnership between the government and the private sector is important for meeting the state’s child care needs.

Creative thinking is needed. Few employers, for example, offer on-site daycare, reluctant to commit the time and resources necessary to ensure state licensure certification. Employers could, however, consider reserving slots in daycare providers specifically for their employees.

“There’s a lot of things that are in the works for creating that framework,” Wendell said. “That’s where I think that engaging this (business) community will be super helpful.”

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Prominent political and regulatory law firm Holtzman Vogel establishes Ariz. operation with Phoenix office

Taylor Hersch — Mon, 02 May 2022 17:24:32 +0000

Business and community leaders gathered Tuesday morning to celebrate the opening of a new Phoenix office for Holtzman Vogel, one of the nation’s most prominent law firms specializing in government, regulatory matters and litigation. The firm’s regional office is located at The Esplanade.

Founded over two decades ago and based in Washington, D.C., Holtzman Vogel has expanded quickly in recent years. In addition to Phoenix and the nation’s capital, the firm also has regional offices in Virginia and Florida.

Managing Partner Jill Holtzman Vogel said the Arizona marketplace is a perfect fit.

“We could have chosen anywhere to expand our reach, but Arizona and the Phoenix metro area is dynamic and fast-growing – just like our team,” she said. “This is absolutely the right place for Holtzman Vogel to put down roots, and we are thrilled to open the doors and get started.”

In addition to leading the law firm, Ms. Holtzman Vogel is a Republican member of the Virginia General Assembly, where she has served since being elected in 2007. Ms. Holtzman Vogel’s extensive experience includes stints as chief counsel of the RNC and deputy general counsel of the Department of Energy during the George W. Bush administration. Following the 2000 general election, she represented the Bush-Cheney campaign in West Palm Beach and Osceola County during the Florida Presidential Recount.

Holtzman Vogel lawyers have decades of combined experience working at the highest levels of government, law and public policy – including in the White House, Cabinet, federal agencies, Department of Justice, Federal Election Commission, Congress, state governments, and at every level of national party committees.

Attorneys in the firm have done work in Arizona for years, but Ms. Holtzman Vogel said the brick-and-mortar location provides a physical platform for further growth and demonstrates the firm’s commitment to the Phoenix market. The new office will be led by resident Partner Christine Fort and Dallin B. Holt, Of Counsel.

“After over 20 years representing high-profile clients in all aspects of political and regulatory law,” Holtzman Vogel said, “we are grateful to now open our fourth office to help support our growing roster of clients in the West.”

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Defense tech provider Mercury Systems expands Arizona footprint

Taylor Hersch — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:39:09 +0000

Mercury Systems, a defense technologies provider, celebrated the opening of a new facility in Phoenix last week after recently being for the Department of Defense’s State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program, work that will be performed at the new Phoenix facility.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the 115,000-square-foot facility that will house approximately 325 employees with room to expand.

The Phoenix center expands the company’s ability to work with the aerospace and defense industries.

“With this facility expansion, we’re not only supporting Phoenix’s economic development, but also providing the DoD and the aerospace and defense industry with trusted, secure semiconductor technology,” Tom Smelker, vice president and general manager of Mercury Microsystems.

Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona �� of Commerce & Industry, cheered Mercury’s decision to increase its presence in Arizona.

“The expansion of Mercury Systems is terrific news for Arizona, and a testament to the pro-business, pro-innovation policies we’ve advanced in recent years to make our state a premier place for companies to locate, invest and expand,” Seiden said. “We are proud to be home to manufacturers like Mercury Systems that not only propel our economic growth, but also equip our military and aerospace and defense industries with leading-edge technologies that contribute to our state and national security.”

Also in attendance at the ceremony was Arizona U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, who spoke about the positive impact of the expansion.

“I’m excited to join Mercury Systems for this ribbon-cutting and celebrate these new jobs coming to Arizona,” Gallego said. “Our state continues to prove its leadership in electronic manufacturing, and today’s expansion of Mercury’s custom microelectronics packaging center is yet another proof point.”

Mercury says the SHIP program work represents a shift in approach from the DoD by directly engaging with companies like Mercury to develop trusted, secure, and more cost-effective ways to design, manufacture, assemble and test in-package integration of mission-critical system components.

“Programs like SHIP are expanding our ability to partner with our government, allowing them access to our investments in onshore trusted microelectronics and our expertise in secure, heterogeneous packaging to realize the DOD’s forward-looking commitment to accelerating innovation,” Smelker .

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Energy expert for Nikola discusses potential for growth of hydrogen as cleaner energy source

Taylor Hersch — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 19:43:40 +0000

Attendees at last week’s Arizona Manufacturers Council environmental issues breakfast heard from Erik Mason, global head of energy and supply trading for Nikola Motors, who discussed his company’s innovations in hydrogen and how hydrogen’s importance is growing in the energy sector.

Nikola moved to Arizona in 2020 and now employs more than 1,000 people. By 2023 the company expects to complete its manufacturing plant in Coolidge, Ariz., which will be capable of producing 30,000 trucks annually.

Through strategic partnerships, Nikola aims to ramp up production of both electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Nikola has partnered with Wabash Valley Resources in Indiana, which produces carbon-negative hydrogen at the lowest carbon concentration in the United States.

“Clean hydrogen is one of the most viable ways to lower emissions,” Mason said about the importance of hydrogen production.

Mason said hydrogen can be used to balance the electrical grid.

“You can produce a lot more hydrogen when there’s excess power during low power times and can be pulled out during peak power times,” Mason said. “This means that more power will be available during times when people are typically in residence and the efficiency of producing hydrogen power will be more.”

According to Mason, companies are testing the current pipeline infrastructure to examine at what density hydrogen can be safely blended with natural gas to deliver energy to homes and businesses.

Southwest Gas, Arizona’s largest natural gas utility, is testing hydrogen blending technology in a study partnership with Arizona State University to determine the safest and most environmentally effective hydrogen/natural gas blend percentage.

In order to create a more cost effective alternative energy source, companies like Nikola are looking to find more technology agnostic solutions. There is not a “one-size-fits-all approach” for producing hydrogen – various methods can be used depending on the resources available in the region.

In states like California and Oregon, the demand for net zero carbon emissions has driven the government to offer incentives to companies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard that was designed to decrease the carbon footprint in the states.

According to Mason, the possibility of reaching net zero emissions in Arizona is, “going to be dictated by the government regulations and the market demand.”

Nikola plans to have a hub up and running in Arizona by 2023 that will produce and dispense hydrogen as an alternative energy source.

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Taylor Hersch, Author at ��������