[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1965-E1966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1965]]



          INTRODUCTION OF THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2000

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my bill, the 
Energy Independence Act, designed to ensure the energy self-sufficiency 
of the United States by the year 2010 through targeted investments in 
an emerging green energy technology called fuel cells.
  We have before us, for the first time in human history, the 
technology to provide clean, reliable energy for every person, home, 
business, and vehicle in America. With this technology, we have the 
opportunity to end once and for all America's reliance on foreign 
energy sources while at the same time creating quality jobs for the 
next century in a new and expanding technological field.
  The technology I refer to is called a fuel cell. This technology has 
been with us since it was first used to power the Gemini and Apollo 
spacecraft, and is still powering NASA's fleet of space shuttles. It 
has finally matured to a point where stationary power plants are 
providing reliable commercial power today and is prepared to 
demonstrate its advantages to the general public in clean, quiet, and 
efficient residential, bus, and car applications.
  Current stationary fuel cell demonstrations within the Department of 
Defense have showed an energy cost savings of over $3 million, and 
another unit in service at South County Hospital in Rhode Island is 
saving an estimated $60,000 to $90,000 in energy costs per year. 
Perhaps the most important attribute of stationary fuel cell power 
generators in the new, high tech economy is that they nearly eliminate 
brownouts and other power outages that disrupt the sophisticated and 
critical systems operating many businesses today. For example, at the 
First National Bank of Omaha in Nebraska, where milliseconds without 
power can mean millions of dollars in lost revenues, the stationary 
fuel cell installed as the major component of an integrated assured 
power system is helping to provide power at 99.9999 percent 
reliability, which is equal to a power interruption of one minute every 
six years.
  The environmental benefits of this new technology are also 
astounding. For example, the PC25 stationary power plant, which is the 
only commercially available until today, has been installed at 29 
Department of Defense facilities throughout the United States since 
1995. These fuel cells are estimated to have eliminated 399 tons of 
SOx, 159 tons of NOx, and over 20,000 tons of 
CO2. Compared to a typical combustion-based generator, each 
individual fuel cell unit eliminates more than 40,000 pounds of air 
pollutants, including NOx and SOx, as well as two 
million pounds of CO2 emissions per year. Finally, fuel 
cells have the capability to cleanly process methane emissions from 
landfills and anaerobic digester gases from wastewater treatment 
facilities into energy, thereby preventing these harmful emissions from 
degrading the environment.
  This technology presents us with an extraordinary opportunity, at a 
critical time in this country's development. As you are aware, the 
United States imported an average of nearly 11 million barrels of oil 
per day last year from foreign countries to meet our domestic energy 
needs, totaling nearly 4 billion barrels during all of 1999. Even at 
last year's comparatively modest average price of $15 per barrel, that 
adds up to more than $60 billion spent on foreign oil. With
  The current oil crisis has served to remind us, after nearly two 
decades of complacency, how fragile the relationship is between our 
energy sources, the vitality of our economy, and the livelihood of 
every man, woman, and child in this country. The price of a barrel of 
crude oil reaches into every corner of our society, from affecting the 
cost of transporting food from our farms and ranches to the dinner 
table, to affecting the cost of each one of us traveling to and from 
work, to affecting our very survival at home during cold winter and hot 
summer months.
  We stand now on a fundamental crossroad in this country. We have the 
ability to provide for the economic and national security of the nation 
by integrating this new technology into our economy. The elimination of 
noxious chemical emissions into our environment and the freedom of not 
being bound to existing energy producing monopolies represent a 
potential impact on our society in the next century as profound as any 
of the achievements of the 20th century, from the elimination of small 
pox and polio, to the development of the Internet, to human's first 
flights in space through which this technology was born. However, bold 
action is needed, with courage and vision to lead the way.
  Over the next five years, my legislation would invest approximately 
1/60 of the nation's total yearly expenditures on foreign oil to 
develop and demonstrate fuel cell technology that can power our homes, 
businesses, and vehicles. My bill calls for a $1 billion 5-year 
investment that should eliminate our reliance on foreign energy sources 
by 2010 and improve world environmental conditions by reducing overall 
consumption of fossil fuels and the harmful chemical emissions they 
produce. Specifically, the Energy Independence Act:
  Directs the Secretary of Energy to transmit to Congress within one 
year a strategic plan to ensure the United States is energy self 
sufficient by the year 2010. Authorizes up to $20 million for 
completion of this plan.
  Authorizes a total of $140 million over 3 years to establish a 
federal pilot program to purchase up to 100 commercially available 200 
kW fuel cell power plants or up to 20 mW of power generated from 
commercially available fuel cell power plants for use at federally 
owned or operated facilities.
  Gives site selection priority to sites that (1) are classified as 
non-attainment areas under Title I of the Clean Air Act; (2) have 
computer or electronic operations that are sensitive to power supply 
disruptions; (3) need a reliable uninterrupted power supply; (4) are in 
a remote location or have other factors requiring off-grid power 
generation; or (5) need to maintain critical manufacturing or other 
activities that support national security efforts.
  Authorizes a total of $140 million over 3 years to establish a 
program for the demonstration of fuel cell proton exchange membrane 
(PEM) technology in commercial, residential, and transportation 
applications.
  Authorizes a total of $150 over 3 years to establish a comprehensive 
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration Program to 
address hydrogen production, storage, and use in transit bus 
applications.
  Promotes the application of technology developments and improved 
manufacturing production and processes for proton exchange membrane 
(PEM) fuel cell technology.
  Directs the various agencies of the federal government that maintain 
fleets of federal vehicles to develop plans to transition the fleets to 
incorporate fuel cell technology by 2010.
  Directs that any life-cycle cost benefit analysis undertaken by a 
Federal agency with respect to investments in products, services, 
construction, and other projects shall include an analysis of 
environmental and power reliability factors.
  Authorizes $110 million per year for five years to establish a grant 
program for state and local governments (requiring a 10 percent non-
federal funding match) to make investments for the use of fuel cell 
technology in meeting their energy requirements, including the fueling 
as a source of power for motor vehicles.
  Just as steam power generated the first real industrial revolution in 
the 19th century, and power from fossil fuels generated the tremendous 
technological growth seen in the 20th century, fuel cells are ready to 
power the country and the world in the 21st century and beyond. This 
legislation is an important step in this process, and the government 
must play a role in this transition for several reasons. First and 
foremost, it will provide for the security of the country in both 
economic and military terms by eliminating our reliance on foreign 
energy sources. Second, we have a long-term responsibility to our 
seniors and to other people living on fixed incomes to see that they 
will one day have an opportunity to live within their means without 
being forced to choose between putting food on their tables, gas in 
their cars, or buying oil to heat their homes. Third, there is the 
opportunity within the government's infrastructure to most easily begin 
a widespread integration of this technology. Fourth, the spread and use 
of this technology

[[Page E1966]]

has the opportunity to create a contribution in economic growth and in 
job creation every bit as significant as the development of the high 
tech industry during the last decade. Finally, as government 
regulations increasingly call for stricter clean air and other 
pollution limits, fuel cells can provide an effective way for states 
and communities to meet these new environmental challenges.
  Specifically, the federal government can take a leadership role in 
transitioning and commercializing this technology by using the powerful 
leverage of large volume government purchases of fuel cells to power 
government facilities, including federal housing facilities, as well as 
its fleets of vehicles. Further, given the significant amount of 
federal assistance to states and local communities for public 
transportation, the federal government can play an important role in 
helping communities meet their transportation needs and meet clean air 
requirements at the same time. State and local governments and 
organizations can take the lead on this as well, by integrating this 
new technology in community planning efforts and municipal 
transportation programs, and I have included a significant grant 
program to help local governments interested in participating in this 
endeavor.
  We have the opportunity to provide leadership, solutions, and 
opportunities at this critical juncture in our nation's history that 
can profoundly improve the security and independence of every American, 
providing a safer, more secure, more productive, and cleaner 
environment for generations to come. We must not allow this opportunity 
to be lost.

                          ____________________