[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 83 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6330-S6333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. 
        Murkowski, Mr. Reid, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Bayh, Mr. 
        Inouye, Mr. Lieberman, and Mr. Jeffords):
  S. 1053. A bill to reauthorize and amend the Spark M. Matsunaga 
Hydrogen Research Development, and Demonstration Act of 1990, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce today the 
Hydrogen Future Act of 2001, a bill to reauthorize the Department of 
Energy's hydrogen energy programs. I am especially pleased that this 
bill has strong bipartisan support. I worked closely with my colleague 
from Hawaii, Senator Akaka, in developing the bill, which builds on the 
great work of his

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predecessor, Spark Matsunaga, and I thank him for his support. Other 
cosponsors include Senators Bingaman, Murkowski, Reid, Domenici, Kyl, 
Bayh, Inouye, Lieberman, and Jeffords.
  There has been a wide-ranging and sometimes fierce debate recently 
over what should be in a national energy policy. But while there is 
significant disagreement over near-term strategies, there is a widely 
shared vision of where we need to end up. For the sake of both the 
economy and the environment, we need to develop clean, domestic 
renewable fuels, such as solar heat and power, wind turbines, 
geothermal power, hydroelectric power, and biomass and ethanol. These 
fuels are domestic, avoiding the risks of dependence on foreign 
sources; indeed several of these fuels are widely available in the 
U.S., so that many states, such as Iowa, that now import virtually all 
their fuel could bring that work home. The use of multiple fuels, and 
the local availability, should make supplies more reliable as well. And 
these renewable fuels are truly ``green''--they cause almost no 
pollution and result in almost no global warming.
  However, the sun, the wind, and even the rivers are not always 
available when you need them, and you can't store sunlight, wind, or 
the electricity you make from them. If they are to be major sources of 
power, you need a way to store the energy.
  The need to store electricity is not just a hypothetical problem for 
an energy future. The California energy crisis this year has vividly 
demonstrated that electricity is not just another commodity. The 
terrible price spikes and rolling blackouts occur in part because 
customers need electricity but cannot store or stockpile it, during 
brief shortages purchasers have paid hundreds or thousands of dollars a 
kilowatthour, or found there was no electricity to buy. Californians 
hoped to create a free and fair market in electricity, but instead find 
themselves at the mercy of electricity providers.
  The automobile industry has also recognized for some time that 
electric cars could be much more efficient than any combustion engine 
vehicle, as well as quieter and non-polluting. But they have lacked an 
effective way to generate electricity on board.
  These issues may be even more important abroad. Our world population 
continues to increase at an almost alarming rate. Back when I was born 
in 1939, there were three billion people on the earth. When I turned 60 
not long ago, there were 6 billion people. And 40 years from now, when 
by daughter turns 60, there will be 11 billion people on earth.
  As countries like India, China and the African Nations become 
industrialized consumer societies, billions of additional people will 
want, and deserve to have, a better quality of life. That means heating 
in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, televisions and 
microwave ovens and cars. But if they develop the same way we did, we 
are all in trouble. The air pollution, water pollution, and global 
warming could make our earth unlivable. And if China and other 
developing nations import oil to fuel a billion cars, our recent $2 a 
gallon gasoline prices will look like bargains. For the sake of these 
countries and for our own sake, we've got to help these developing 
countries leap-frog fossil fuels and move directly to sustainable 
development based on renewable energy.
  The Hydrogen Future Act is about the solution to the electricity 
storage problem. Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic gas that 
can be obtained from ordinary water using electricity or from plants 
such as switchgrass and trees. Hydrogen can be stored and transported 
much like natural gas. And it is an almost perfect fuel. When burned, 
the main waste product is water. But hydrogen can more efficiently be 
used to power fuel cells, making only electricity, heat, and pure 
water. And it's safe, escaping harmlessly into the air if there is a 
leak.
  Because of these qualities, hydrogen has long been a technologist's 
dream. Jules Verne imagined hydrogen from water powering machinery, 
trains, and and lights back in 1874. But in 1990, when the Hydrogen 
Research, Development, and Demonstration Act first became law, hydrogen 
was still used for energy more in space, by NASA, than on earth.
  How things are changing. Hydrogen fuel cells are no longer a 
laboratory curiosity. Today, the First National Bank of Omaha, just 
outside my home state of Iowa, uses fuel cells to power its credit card 
service operations. They wanted fuel cells because of their 
reliability. They figure it costs them one million dollars for every 
hour their power is out, and that the $3.8 million system has already 
paid for itself. The New York Central Park Police Station relies on a 
fuel cell for off-grid electricity because it would have cost over a 
million dollars to run power line extensions to the building. And at 
the Kirby Cove Campground in California, fuel cells have another 
advantage: they're quiet.
  We've seen public buses running on hydrogen fuel cells in Chicago and 
Vancouver and Southern California. Every major car manufacturer has 
prototype fuel cell cars and vans on the roads. And there are hydrogen 
fueling stations in places such as Dearborn, Michigan; Las Vegas, 
Nevada, and Sacramento, CA. Some companies are developing fuel cells to 
power cell phones and personal computers, others for full-size power 
plants. Companies have announced plans to deliver commercial fuel cell 
products in the next few years in cars, buses, and homes.
  Soon hydrogen may be powering the world. It's potential is so great 
that some people look forward to a ``hydrogen economy,'' an economy in 
which hydrogen is the ubiquitous energy ``carrier'' between renewable 
sources and all end uses. Larry Burns, a vice president of General 
Motors has said, ``We believe hydrogen will be the fuel of the 
future.'' And Don Huberts, of Shell, said ``The stone age did not end 
because the world ran out of stones, and the oil age will not end 
because we run out of oil.'' Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki 
Yamani has used almost the same words. Now Iceland has embarked on a 
visionary program to create the world's first hydrogen economy using 
their abundant hydroelectric and geothermal resources.
  The Department of Energy hydrogen energy program is a critical part 
of this revolution. The program conducts research in the efficient and 
cost-effective production of hydrogen from renewable sources and from 
fossil fuels, in effective storage of hydrogen, and in potential uses 
such as reversible fuel cells, as well as in necessary infrastructure 
including hydrogen sensors. The program demonstrates technologies such 
as hydrogen fueling and remote off-grid power applications. The program 
also conducts invaluable process and market analyses, as well as doing 
necessary work on codes and regulations. They are working on ceramic 
membranes, combined electricity generation and hydrogen production, and 
niche markets such as vehicles in mines. Almost all projects are funded 
in party by industry.
  The bill we are introducing today will extend, expand, and improve 
this DOE program. Because of the enormous promise of hydrogen energy, 
and the current rapid expansion of opportunities, the bill authorizes a 
significant increase in funding for the hydrogen program, to $60 
million next year, with a total of $350 million over five years.
  It also establishes a new program aimed at demonstrating hydrogen 
technologies and their integration with fuel cells at Federal, State, 
and local government facilities. The program would be based on a plan 
to be developed by an interagency task force. It would focus on 
hydrogen production, storage, and use in buildings and vehicles; on 
hydrogen-based infrastructure for buses and fleet transportation; and 
on distributed power generation, including the generation of combined 
heat, power, and hydrogen. This new demonstration program would be 
funded at an additional $20 million next year, with a total of $150 
million over five years.
  The bill makes other improvements, including: Modification of cost-
sharing requirements to enable more participation in research projects 
by small companies and to exclude from cost-sharing analytical and 
service work that will not lead to commercial products. These changes 
are intended to conform more closely to the requirements in the Energy 
Policy Act of 1992 that govern the rest of the renewable energy 
program, without violating WTO rules; Language incorporating 
international activities where appropriate in the

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DOE programs. A global perspective is necessary both to develop world 
markets for our products and to encourage international development on 
a sustainable path; Clarification of the composition of the Hydrogen 
Technical Advisory Panel that oversees the program for DOE; Reporting 
requirements to further enhance inter-agency and inter-governmental 
cooperation in the hydrogen program.
  This bill has the support of the chairman and ranking members of the 
Energy Committee as well as the chairman and ranking member of the 
Energy and Water Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. I 
understand that a bill to reauthorize the Hydrogen Future Act will also 
be introduced today in the House by Representatives Ken Calvert and 
Sherwood Boehlert, key members of the Science Committee. And the recent 
report of the administration's National Energy Policy Development Group 
recommended reauthorization of the hydrogen program. I hope with this 
strong bipartisan support we will be able to pass this bill quickly and 
to help realize hydrogen's potential in providing the clean, reliable 
energy we so desperately need.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Harkin, 
Senator Bingaman and Senator Murkowski, Chairman and Ranking Member of 
the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, my colleagues 
Senators Bayh, Domenici, Jeffords, Kyl, Lieberman, Reid, and my senior 
colleague from Hawaii, Senator Inouye, in introducing legislation that 
will accelerate the ongoing efforts for the development of a fuel for 
the future--hydrogen. Hydrogen is an efficient and environmentally 
friendly energy carrier that can be obtained using conventional or 
renewable resources.
  In these days of soaring energy prices, oil cartels, air pollution, 
global climate change and greenhouse gases, hydrogen is a dazzling 
alternative. We can have a zero-pollution fuel. It can be produced 
domestically, ending our dependence on foreign oil. The question is not 
whether there will be a hydrogen age but when.
  Hydrogen as a fuel can help us resolve our energy problems and 
satisfy much of the world's energy needs. I am convinced that sometimes 
in the 21st century, hydrogen will join electricity as one of our 
Nation's primary energy carriers, and hydrogen will ultimately be 
produced from renewable sources. In the next twenty years, increasing 
concerns about global climate change and energy security will help 
bring about penetration of hydrogen in several niche markets. The 
growth of fuel cell technology will allow the introduction of hydrogen 
in both the transportation and electricity sectors.
  I have a long-term vision for hydrogen energy as a renewable 
resource. Progress is being made and challenges and barriers are being 
surmounted at an accelerating pace on a global scale. Fuel cells for 
distributed stationary power are being commercialized and installed in 
various locations in the United States and worldwide. Transit bus 
demonstration programs are underway in both the United States and 
Europe. Major automobile companies are poised to deploy fuel cell 
passenger cars within the next few years. All these activities involve 
government and private sector cooperation.
  Industry is moving ahead with fuel cell developments at a rapid pace. 
Many companies are forming partnerships to bring new technologies to 
the marketplace. Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, and Ballard have formed a 
partnership and pledged $1.5 billion for commercialization of 
automotive fuel cells. Edison Development Company, General Electric, 
SoCal Gas, and Plug Power have agreements to commercialize residential 
fuel cells.
  National governments are turning to hydrogen as the fuel of the 
future. Iceland is making a strong bid to become the world's first 
hydrogen-based economy. According to its plans, hydrogen-powered cars 
and buses will transport people in Reykjavik, the country's capital 
within ten years. If all goes well there will be no need for oil in 
Iceland.
  Closer to home, I am particularly pleased that the State of Hawaii is 
taking the lead in ushering in the hydrogen era. Our State Legislature 
is advancing bills that would authorize the formation of a public-
private sector partnership for promoting hydrogen as an energy source. 
The partnership would involve the State, Counties, Federal Government, 
utilities, and private companies. The partnership would be charged with 
developing plans to promote investment in hydrogen infrastructure, 
begin pilot plants to produce hydrogen from geothermal and other 
sources on Oahu, study how to move hydrogen to other islands, and study 
how wind and other methods could be used to produce hydrogen. In 
California, the state's zero emissions vehicle requirements favor early 
introduction of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

  These are very important initiatives. They may be small steps, but 
for the hydrogen future they are important steps forward.
  My predecessor in the Senate, Senator Spark Matsunaga was one of the 
first to focus attention on hydrogen by sponsoring hydrogen research 
legislation. The Matsunaga Hydrogen Act, as the legislation became 
known, was designed to accelerate development of domestic capability to 
produce an economically renewable energy source in sufficient 
quantities to reduce the Nation's dependence on conventional fuels. As 
a result of Senator Matsunaga's vision, the Department of Energy has 
been conducting research that will advance technologies for cost-
effective production, storage, and utilization of hydrogen.
  The Hydrogen Future Act of 1996, which followed the Matsunaga 
Hydrogen Act, expanded the research, development, and demonstration 
program under the original Act. It authorized activities leading to 
production, storage, transformation, and use of hydrogen for 
industrial, residential, transportation, and utility applications. It 
enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress.
  Today we are introducing legislation that reauthorizes and amends the 
Hydrogen Future Act of 1996. It highlights the potential of hydrogen as 
an efficient and environmentally friendly source of energy, the need 
for a strong partnership between the Federal government, industry, and 
academia, and the importance of continued support for hydrogen 
research. It fosters collaboration between Federal agencies, State and 
local governments, universities, and industry, and it encourages 
private sector investment and cost sharing in the development of 
hydrogen as an energy source. It adds provisions for the demonstration 
of hydrogen technologies at government facilities to expedite wider 
application of these technologies.
  The bill we are introducing today supports the recommendations of the 
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, PCAST. In 
its report issued in November 1997, PCAST proposed a substantial 
increase in Federal spending for applied energy technology R&D, with 
the largest share going to energy efficiency and renewable energy 
technologies. The PCAST report, ``Federal Energy Research and 
Development for the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century,'' 
acknowledged and supported advances in a wide range of both hydrogen-
producing and hydrogen-using technologies.
  The current Hydrogen Program, administered by the Department of 
Energy, supports a broad range of research and development projects in 
the areas of hydrogen production, storage, and use in a safe and cost-
effective manner. Some of these new technologies may become available 
for wider use in the next few years. The most promising include 
advanced natural gas- and biomass-based hydrogen production 
technologies, high pressure gaseous and cryogas storage systems, and 
reversible PEM fuel cell systems. Other projects lay the groundwork for 
long range opportunities. These activities need continued support if 
the nation is to enjoy the benefits of a clean energy source.
  The Hydrogen Program utilizes the talents of our national 
laboratories and our universities. The National Renewable Energy 
Laboratory, Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge 
National Laboratories, as well as Jet Propulsion Laboratory are 
involved in the program. The DOE Field Office at Golden, Colorado, and 
Nevada Operations Office in Nevada are also involved. University-led 
centers-of-excellence have been established at the University of Miami 
and the University of Hawaii. U.S. participation in the International 
Energy Agency contributes to

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the advancement of DOE hydrogen research through international 
cooperation. The program has also built strong links with the industry. 
This has resulted in strong industry participation and cost sharing. 
Cooperation between government, industry, universities, and the 
national laboratories is key to the successful development and 
commercialization of new and environmentally friendly energy 
technologies.

  The legislation we are introducing today authorizes $350 million over 
the next five years for research and development for hydrogen 
production, storage and use. This will allow advancement of 
technologies such as smaller-scale production systems that are 
applicable to distributed-generation and vehicle applications, advanced 
pressure vessels, photobiological and photocatalytic production of 
hydrogen, and carbon nanotubes, graphite nanofibers, and fullerenes.
  The bill also authorizes $150 million for conducting integrated 
demonstrations of hydrogen technologies at government facilities. This 
provision will help secure industry participation through competitive 
solicitations for technology development and testing. It will test the 
viability of hydrogen production, storage, and use, and lead to the 
development of hydrogen-based operating experience acceptance to meet 
safety codes and standards.
  By supporting this bill, we will be ushering in a new era of non-
polluting energy. I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.
                                 ______