[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 102 (Thursday, July 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S7738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to ask the ranking 
member on the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, Senator Reid 
of Nevada, a question regarding the funding for hydrogen research in 
the appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998.
  Mr. REID. I would be pleased to answer a question from my colleague.
  Mrs. BOXER. Thank you. As you well know, funding for the Department 
of Energy's Hydrogen Research Program is critical to the advancement of 
hydrogen technologies. The President's budget for fiscal year 1998 
requested $15 million. The committee, through the efforts of the 
ranking member, increased the budget request by $4 million to $19 
million. As we know, the Hydrogen Future Act that passed by the 
Congress last year authorized $25 million for fiscal year 1998.
  As the ranking member of this appropriations subcommittee I sincerely 
appreciate his efforts to increase funding for hydrogen research in the 
energy and water development bill. As we know, the Department needs the 
funding that they have requested to pursue the furthering of hydrogen 
by working with the private-sector and our national laboratories to 
demonstrate the effectiveness as well as the safety of hydrogen. I know 
that my ranking member is as interested as I am in the demonstration 
and validation of hydrogen power technology. I support his request for 
a demonstration and evaluation at the Nevada test site as part of the 
Department of Energy's Hydrogen Research Program budget.
  I would like to ask the distinguished ranking member if he would 
elaborate on the intentions of the committee report language as it 
relates to the Department allocating funds for a comprehensive 
validation program at the Nevada test site. If I understand this 
correctly, the distinguished Senator from Nevada is suggesting that the 
Department should begin phase 1 of a program in fiscal year 1998 that 
will establish at the Nevada test site a single location to administer 
testing and evaluation of industry-led hydrogen energy systems.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, that is correct. First, I am deeply 
concerned that increased consumption of refined petroleum products for 
transportation will continue to climb and the quality of the air we 
breath will continue to deteriorate. Additionally, our reliance on 
foreign oil can only aggravate our trade imbalance as well as 
jeopardize our national security.
  Therefore, I felt it to be vitally important that we begin to move 
forward and establish, at least, one location to allow the Department 
of Energy the ability to begin the precommercialization of hydrogen 
technologies. And the Department should provide to the committee a plan 
for the furthering of this center at the Nevada test site in future 
years. Hopefully, their fiscal year 1999 request will mirror the 
authorization of $30 million contained in the Hydrogen Future Act in 
order to fully implement the center. Full funding at the authorized 
levels are the only way that we can begin to bring this technology to 
the marketplace. Furthermore, it is my hope that the administration 
will view our increased funding of the hydrogen research program as a 
clear indication that there is support for this technology in the U.S. 
Senate.
  Mrs. BOXER. I thank you for clarifying this most important issue and 
will continue to look to your leadership in this area.

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