[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4160 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4160

To authorize the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior 
to jointly establish a program, in partnership with the private sector, 
    to support research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
  application activities related to advanced hydrogen-based motorboat 
 propulsion technologies suitable for operations in sensitive resource 
         areas such as national parks, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2004

  Mr. Renzi introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                          Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior 
to jointly establish a program, in partnership with the private sector, 
    to support research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
  application activities related to advanced hydrogen-based motorboat 
 propulsion technologies suitable for operations in sensitive resource 
         areas such as national parks, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Grand Canyon Hydrogen-Powered 
Motorboat Demonstration Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the term--
            (1) ``Departments'' means the Department of Energy jointly 
        with the Department of the Interior; and
            (2) ``Secretaries'' means the Secretary of Energy jointly 
        with the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) there is a need for a research and development program 
        to support and foster the development, demonstration, and 
        deployment of emerging hydrogen-based motorboat propulsion 
        technologies suitable for use in sensitive resource areas;
            (2) partnerships between the Department of Energy, the 
        Department of the Interior, and United States industry to 
        develop hydrogen-based energy technologies can provide 
        significant benefits to our Nation, including enhancing our 
        environmental stewardship, reducing our dependence on foreign 
        oil, increasing our energy security, as well as creating jobs 
        for United States workers and improving the competitive 
        position of the United States in the global economy; and
            (3) when technologically and economically feasible, the 
        implementation of clean, silent or nearly silent, hydrogen-
        based motorboat propulsion technologies would further resource 
        stewardship and experiential goals in sensitive resource areas 
        including units of the National Park System, such as Grand 
        Canyon National Park, where motor-powered watercraft are used 
        for recreational and other purposes.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretaries shall jointly establish and carry 
out a research and development program, in partnership with the private 
sector, relating to hydrogen-based motorboat propulsion technologies 
suitable for operations in sensitive resource areas such as national 
parks. The Secretaries, in partnership with the private sector, shall 
conduct a demonstration of hydrogen-based motorboat propulsion 
technology at Grand Canyon National Park within three years after the 
date of enactment of this Act. At his discretion, the Secretary of 
Energy may choose to extend existing Department of Energy hydrogen-
related vehicle research and development programs in order to meet the 
objectives and requirements of this Act.
    (b) Objective.--The objective of the program shall be to research, 
develop, and demonstrate, in cooperation with affected and related 
industries, a hydrogen-based alternative motorboat propulsion system 
suitable for recreational whitewater river operations on the Colorado 
River within Grand Canyon National Park, that meets the following 
standards:
            (1) Silent or near-silent operation, meaning the propulsion 
        system should generally not be audible over the sound of the 
        watercraft moving through the water to a listener stationed a 
        moderate distance away.
            (2) Low, ultra low, or zero emission of pollutants.
            (3) Reliability.
            (4) Safe conveyance of passengers and crew.
    (c) Partnership.--In order to accomplish the objective set forth in 
subsection (b), the Secretaries shall establish a partnership among the 
Departments, manufacturers, other affected or related industries, and 
the National Park Service concessioners authorized to provide river 
running services in Grand Canyon National Park.

SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    One year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 
thereafter for the duration of the program, the Secretaries shall 
submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations, Resources, and 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committees 
on Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
describing the ongoing activities of the Secretaries and the 
Departments relating to the program authorized under this Act and, to 
the extent practicable, the activities planned for the coming fiscal 
year.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretaries to carry 
out this Act, in addition to any amounts made available for these or 
related purposes under other Acts, $400,000 per year for three 
consecutive fiscal years beginning with the full fiscal year following 
the date of enactment of this Act.
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