By Shayna Fritz
There’s plenty of debate in Washington about energy policy, but here on the ground in Ohio, one thing is clear: Our farmers need reliable, affordable fertilizer to stay in business — and hydrogen is a key ingredient that makes it possible.
That’s why preserving the current 45V hydrogen production tax credit deserves strong, bipartisan support from policymakers in D.C. who care about protecting American agriculture, rural economies and our nation’s energy independence.
Here’s why this matters to Ohio: Hydrogen is essential for making ammonia, the backbone of nitrogen fertilizers. Without it, we can’t grow the local corn, soybeans and wheat that feed America and the world. Fertilizer alone can represent up to 45% of total operating costs for many Ohio farmers. When global energy markets swing or conflicts erupt abroad, fertilizer prices skyrocket, and it’s our family farms that pay the price.
Today, most hydrogen is made from natural gas — something Ohio has in abundance, thanks to our skilled energy workforce and our role as a leading natural gas producer. The problem isn’t the fuel; it’s that too much downstream fertilizer production has shifted overseas, making American agriculture vulnerable to foreign instability and adversarial regimes.
China, for example, produces more than three times the ammonia that the United States does. If we care about American food security, we need to care about fertilizer security — and that starts with stable, affordable domestic hydrogen production.
The 45V tax credit provides a practical solution, encouraging hydrogen production here at home using a range of methods, including natural gas paired with carbon capture, renewables and even biomass. This means we can produce the hydrogen we need right here in Ohio, supporting U.S.-based ammonia and fertilizer manufacturing while insulating our farmers from the price spikes driven by overseas turmoil.
Hydrogen and ammonia facilities are already being built in rural communities across Ohio, bringing good-paying jobs, infrastructure improvements and local tax revenue to counties that have too often been overlooked by policymakers in Washington. Supporting 45V is a direct investment in rural America, in real jobs, and in the future of Ohio’s farming families.
For Ohio, this is about self-reliance, economic resilience and keeping our promise to the communities that feed and fuel America. Supporting 45V means standing with Ohio farmers. It means strengthening America’s energy security and reducing our dependence on foreign fertilizer. And it means ensuring that rural communities in Ohio and across the nation can continue to compete and thrive.
As policymakers in D.C. weigh the future of hydrogen, we urge them to remember what’s at stake: the livelihoods of American farmers, the security of our food supply and the strength of rural economies that form the backbone of this country.
Ohio is ready to lead in producing the hydrogen and fertilizer America needs. We just need Washington to keep the door open.
(Shayna Fritz is the Executive Director of the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum, a non-profit that supports all of the above energy policies that prioritize lowering costs to consumers, free markets, national security and property rights.)
