[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 56 (Wednesday, May 10, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H2346-H2354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
H-PRIZE ACT OF 2006
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5143) to authorize the Secretary of
Energy to establish monetary prizes for achievements in overcoming
scientific and technical barriers associated with hydrogen energy, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 5143
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 ``H-Prize Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administering entity.--The term ``administering
entity'' means the entity with which the Secretary enters
into an agreement under section 3(c).
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Energy.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
SEC. 3. PRIZE AUTHORITY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to
competitively award cash prizes only in conformity with this
Act to advance the research, development, demonstration, and
commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies.
(b) Advertising and Solicitation of Competitors.--
(1) Advertising.--The Secretary shall widely advertise
prize competitions to encourage broad participation,
including by individuals, universities (including
historically Black colleges and universities and other
minority serving institutions), and large and small
businesses (including businesses owned or controlled by
socially and economically disadvantaged persons).
(2) Announcement through federal register notice.--The
Secretary shall announce each prize competition by publishing
a notice in the Federal Register. This notice shall include
the subject of the competition, the duration of the
competition, the eligibility requirements for participation
in the competition, the process for participants to register
for the competition, the amount of the prize, and the
criteria for awarding the prize.
(c) Administering the Competitions.--The Secretary shall
enter into an agreement with a private, nonprofit entity to
administer the prize competitions, subject to the provisions
of this Act. The duties of the administering entity under the
agreement shall include--
(1) advertising prize competitions and their results;
(2) raising funds from private entities and individuals to
pay for administrative costs and to contribute to cash
prizes;
(3) working with the Secretary to develop the criteria for
selecting winners in prize competitions, based on goals
provided by the Secretary;
(4) determining, in consultation with the Secretary, the
appropriate amount for each prize to be awarded;
(5) selecting judges in accordance with section 4(d), using
criteria developed in consultation with the Secretary; and
(6) preventing the unauthorized use or disclosure of a
registered participant's intellectual property, trade
secrets, and confidential business information.
(d) Funding Sources.--Prizes under this Act shall consist
of Federal appropriated funds and any funds provided by the
administering entity (including funds raised pursuant to
subsection (c)(2)) for such cash prizes. The Secretary may
accept funds from other Federal agencies for such cash
prizes. The Secretary may not give any special consideration
to any private sector entity or individual in return for a
donation to the administering entity.
(e) Announcement of Prizes.--The Secretary may not issue a
notice required by subsection (b)(2) until all the funds
needed to pay out the announced amount of the prize have been
appropriated or committed in writing by the administering
entity. The Secretary may increase the amount of a prize
after an initial announcement is made under subsection (b)(2)
if--
(1) notice of the increase is provided in the same manner
as the initial notice of the prize; and
(2) the funds needed to pay out the announced amount of the
increase have been appropriated or committed in writing by
the administering entity.
(f) Sunset.--The authority to announce prize competitions
under this Act shall terminate on September 30, 2017.
SEC. 4. PRIZE CATEGORIES.
(a) Categories.--The Secretary shall establish prizes for--
(1) advancements in components or systems related to--
(A) hydrogen production;
(B) hydrogen storage;
(C) hydrogen distribution; and
(D) hydrogen utilization;
(2) prototypes of hydrogen-powered vehicles or other
hydrogen-based products that best meet or exceed objective
performance criteria, such as completion of a race over a
certain distance or terrain or generation of energy at
certain levels of efficiency; and
(3) transformational changes in technologies for the
distribution or production of hydrogen that meet or exceed
far-reaching objective criteria, which shall include minimal
carbon emissions and which may include cost criteria designed
to facilitate the eventual market success of a winning
technology.
(b) Awards.--
(1) Advancements.--To the extent permitted under section
3(e), the prizes authorized under subsection (a)(1) shall be
awarded biennially to the most significant advance made in
each of the four subcategories described in subparagraphs (A)
through (D) of subsection (a)(1) since the submission
deadline of the previous prize competition in the same
category under subsection (a)(1) or the date of enactment of
this Act, whichever is later, unless no such advance is
significant enough to merit an award. No one such prize may
exceed $1,000,000. If less than $4,000,000 is
[[Page H2347]]
available for a prize competition under subsection (a)(1),
the Secretary may omit one or more subcategories, reduce the
amount of the prizes, or not hold a prize competition.
(2) Prototypes.--To the extent permitted under section
3(e), prizes authorized under subsection (a)(2) shall be
awarded biennially in alternate years from the prizes
authorized under subsection (a)(1). The Secretary is
authorized to award up to one prize in this category in each
2-year period. No such prize may exceed $4,000,000. If no
registered participants meet the objective performance
criteria established pursuant to subsection (c) for a
competition under this paragraph, the Secretary shall not
award a prize.
(3) Transformational technologies.--To the extent permitted
under section 3(e), the Secretary shall announce one prize
competition authorized under subsection (a)(3) as soon after
the date of enactment of this Act as is practicable. A prize
offered under this paragraph shall be not less than
$10,000,000, paid to the winner in a lump sum, and an
additional amount paid to the winner as a match for each
dollar of private funding raised by the winner for the
hydrogen technology beginning on the date the winner was
named. The match shall be provided for 3 years after the date
the prize winner is named or until the full amount of the
prize has been paid out, whichever occurs first. A prize
winner may elect to have the match amount paid to another
entity that is continuing the development of the winning
technology. The Secretary shall announce the rules for
receiving the match in the notice required by section
3(b)(2). The Secretary shall award a prize under this
paragraph only when a registered participant has met the
objective criteria established for the prize pursuant to
subsection (c) and announced pursuant to section 3(b)(2). Not
more than $10,000,000 in Federal funds may be used for the
prize award under this paragraph. The administering entity
shall seek to raise $40,000,000 toward the matching award
under this paragraph.
(c) Criteria.--In establishing the criteria required by
this Act, the Secretary shall consult with--
(1) the Department's Hydrogen Technical and Fuel Cell
Advisory Committee;
(2) other Federal agencies, including the National Science
Foundation; and
(3) private organizations, including professional
societies, industry associations, and the National Academy of
Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
(d) Judges.--For each prize competition, the Secretary
shall assemble a panel of qualified judges to select the
winner or winners on the basis of the criteria established
under subsection (c). Judges for each prize competition shall
include individuals from outside the Department, including
from the private sector. A judge may not--
(1) have personal or financial interests in, or be an
employee, officer, director, or agent of, any entity that is
a registered participant in the prize competition for which
he or she will serve as a judge; or
(2) have a familial or financial relationship with an
individual who is a registered participant in the prize
competition for which he or she will serve as a judge.
SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY.
To be eligible to win a prize under this Act, an individual
or entity--
(1) shall have complied with all the requirements in
accordance with the Federal Register notice required under
section 3(b)(2);
(2) in the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated
in and maintain a primary place of business in the United
States, and in the case of an individual, whether
participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen of, or
an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in, the
United States; and
(3) shall not be a Federal entity, a Federal employee
acting within the scope of his employment, or an employee of
a national laboratory acting within the scope of his
employment.
SEC. 6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
The Federal Government shall not, by virtue of offering or
awarding a prize under this Act, be entitled to any
intellectual property rights derived as a consequence of, or
direct relation to, the participation by a registered
participant in a competition authorized by this Act. This
section shall not be construed to prevent the Federal
Government from negotiating a license for the use of
intellectual property developed for a prize competition under
this Act.
SEC. 7. LIABILITY.
(a) Waiver of Liability.--The Secretary may require
registered participants to waive claims against the Federal
Government and the administering entity (except claims for
willful misconduct) for any injury, death, damage, or loss of
property, revenue, or profits arising from the registered
participants' participation in a competition under this Act.
The Secretary shall give notice of any waiver required under
this subsection in the notice required by section 3(b)(2).
The Secretary may not require a registered participant to
waive claims against the administering entity arising out of
the unauthorized use or disclosure by the administering
entity of the registered participant's intellectual property,
trade secrets, or confidential business information.
(b) Liability Insurance.--
(1) Requirements.--Registered participants shall be
required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate
financial responsibility, in amounts determined by the
Secretary, for claims by--
(A) a third party for death, bodily injury, or property
damage or loss resulting from an activity carried out in
connection with participation in a competition under this
Act; and
(B) the Federal Government for damage or loss to Government
property resulting from such an activity.
(2) Federal government insured.--The Federal Government
shall be named as an additional insured under a registered
participant's insurance policy required under paragraph
(1)(A), and registered participants shall be required to
agree to indemnify the Federal Government against third party
claims for damages arising from or related to competition
activities.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) Awards.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary for the period encompassing fiscal years 2007
through 2016 for carrying out this Act--
(A) $20,000,000 for awards described in section (4)(a)(1);
(B) $20,000,000 for awards described in section 4(a)(2);
and
(C) $10,000,000 for the award described in section 4(a)(3).
(2) Administration.--In addition to the amounts authorized
in paragraph (1), there are authorized to be appropriated to
the Secretary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2016
$2,000,000 for the administrative costs of carrying out this
Act.
(b) Carryover of Funds.--Funds appropriated for prize
awards under this Act shall remain available until expended,
and may be transferred, reprogrammed, or expended for other
purposes only after the expiration of 10 fiscal years after
the fiscal year for which the funds were originally
appropriated. No provision in this Act permits obligation or
payment of funds in violation of section 1341 of title 31 of
the United States Code (commonly referred to as the Anti-
Deficiency Act).
SEC. 9. NONSUBSTITUTION.
The programs created under this Act shall not be considered
a substitute for Federal research and development programs.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
South Carolina (Mr. Inglis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Lipinski) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5143, as amended,
the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from South Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H-Prize, an exciting opportunity to
do for hydrogen what the X Prize did for entrepreneurial space flight.
First of all, it is important for us to get a handle on what our need
is, why it is that we are aiming at hydrogen, why we must accelerate
the drive for hydrogen.
{time} 1045
Probably a picture is worth a thousand words. So here is a picture of
a gas line in China. As you can see, if that is the future, our
addiction to oil becomes a significant problem for us.
ExxonMobil predicts in their energy report at the end of last year
that global energy demand will grow by 60 percent between now and 2030.
The challenge, of course, for us in that is that that increase in
global energy demand will necessitate a 40 percent increase in OPEC oil
production. Even if they have got it, do we really want to be that much
more dependent on countries in OPEC?
So the idea is to figure out a way to break our addiction to oil, to
move away from this dependence that we are currently in.
The Ansari X PRIZE did for entrepreneurial space flight what the H-
Prize can do for hydrogen. As you know, Burt Rattan's spaceship won,
became the first private spaceship in commercial use and flew within 2
weeks successfully and back to the Earth. That is the idea; that is the
model that we are using here in the H-Prize.
The H-Prize would basically set up three categories of prizes. The
first is an every-other-year $1 million prize for breakthroughs in
production, storage, distribution and utilization of hydrogen. Every
other year, as well, we would issue a prize of $4 million for
breakthroughs in prototypes. And
[[Page H2348]]
then, within 10 years, a $10 million prize for the team that can
transform from well to wheels essentially, or as one of our colleagues
pointed out, from water to wheels, if you are thinking about splitting
water to create hydrogen. That team that can do that transformation
would win a $10 million prize, augmented, we hope, by up to $40 million
worth of private money that would be added to the prize amount. That
private money would be matched dollar for dollar to the venture capital
that was raised by the team that does the transformation.
So it is a way of testing the teams' ability to get us all the way to
the government's objective, which is not to declare a winner in a
science project, but rather, to get all the way to the marketplace. So
if a team can do it, if they can break us through to the hydrogen
economy, they would get the $10 million, but then they would get a
dollar-for-dollar match of up to $40 million if we can raise that
private money for their venture capital. And so they would have $50
million to get to the marketplace.
Now, along the way, we have had helpful suggestions from various
members of the committee and other Members not on the committee. And it
is true that there are other competing technologies. For example, a
breakthrough in better batteries could supplant hydrogen. Better solar
cells could replace or win out in this race to the fuel of the future.
Those, I see, as the three big competitors: hydrogen, solar cells and
then better batteries.
What we hope to do in the H-Prize is incentivize the breakthroughs,
the creativity that can get us to a hydrogen economy. Along the way I
think I am hearing from other Members of Congress about possible other
prizes that would incentivize perhaps solar or perhaps better battery
technology.
I think it makes sense to have prizes because the beauty of prizes,
as we heard from Peter Diamondes, the founder of the X Prize, is, of
course, if nobody wins, you don't pay the prize money. So the
government basically gets the research done for free until somebody
meets the metrics of the prize, and then we award the prize money. So I
am very supportive of other prizes.
It is also true that it has worked before. We have actually done
prizes in the past. In fact, the transcontinental railroad essentially
had some prizes in it, both dollar-per-mile for the railroad companies
rewarded by the Congress, appropriations from this body, and also a
great deal of land that was offered to the railroads if they could do
this, if they could complete the transcontinental railroad.
And, of course, the thing that I think we all need to be aware of is
that this was done in 6 years. The transcontinental railroad was begun
in 1863, completed in 1869. And you know, there was a lot going on
during that time period. In fact, there was the Civil War under way.
But the United States, with the support of the U.S. Congress, united
east and west within 6 years. We can, because we have done it before.
Now, in 1927 Charles Lindbergh won a prize for being the first to
successfully go in a transcontinental flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
That is a transatlantic flight over the Atlantic Ocean. And that prize
incentivized him and caused him to go for it. There was a lot of risk
involved in that, but he won it; and the face of aviation was changed
because of it.
So I submit to my colleagues here today that hydrogen is not as far
away as we think it is. When we hear people talking about 10, 20, 30
years away, particularly when they get into the 30 kind of time frame,
most Americans start putting that way on the back burner and maybe even
off of the stove. But it really is not that far away if we get with it.
And the final example I would use for that is when President Kennedy
announced in 1961 his goal of getting to the Moon before the decade was
out, we did it in 1969. Within 8 years, the mission was accomplished.
It is important to remember that that mission was accomplished using
slide rules, not the computers that we have today. So with the
capabilities we have today, there is every reason to believe we can
break through if we would but just get with it. And I look forward to
the debate from colleagues who will share this view that we can get
there faster than we think.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of
2006, an innovative, forward-thinking bill that will spur the
application of American ingenuity toward securing our energy future. I
applaud Mr. Inglis for introducing this legislation, and I am proud to
have joined him as a chief cosponsor of this bill.
Right now, every American is affected by high energy prices. Working
families, small businesses and consumers across the country are feeling
the pinch with no end in sight. People aren't just paying more to fill
their gas tanks or when they pay for their heating bills for their
home; they are paying more at the grocery store, on air travel and for
many other daily expenses. Local economies are suffering as people
spend more on fuel and less on consumer goods and travel.
The high prices also highlight the fact that the U.S. is too heavily
dependent on fossil fuels that we import from unstable parts of the
world. To protect our national security, we must become more energy
secure.
As we explore ways to bring price relief and bolster our country's
energy independence, one significant energy source has emerged as a
potential solution, hydrogen fuel cells.
Hydrogen holds great promise to meet many of our future energy needs,
and it addresses national security and our environmental concerns.
Hydrogen is the simplest, most abundant element in the universe.
Hydrogen fuel cells have already been developed to power cars. Last
week I had the opportunity to drive a hydrogen-powered car built by
Honda. It did not drive much differently than any other car that we
drive, a gasoline-powered car that we have right now, except for the
silence of the engine, which I am used to, having driven a Ford Escape
hybrid for a couple of years.
Although we do have this car that has been created, we could drive
these few on the road, there are significant problems that must still
be worked out before we can put a hydrogen car in every garage. For
example, the weight of the fuel cells and batteries must be brought
down. The range per fill-up must be extended. It is about 200 miles
right now on the car that I drove. And most importantly, the price must
be lowered very drastically. The car that I drove they told me cost
about $1.5 million. So clearly, there are several significant
technological advances that we must make. But these are within our
reach.
And when these advances are made, hydrogen can fill critical energy
needs beyond transportation. Hydrogen can also be used to heat and
generate electricity for our homes. The future possibilities of this
energy source are enormous.
By utilizing hydrogen, we can and will lessen our dependence on
foreign fuels. Right now too much American time and resources are spent
dealing with situations caused by our dependence on oil that we import
from unstable countries. We must wean ourselves from these
unpredictable energy sources while maintaining and strengthening our
economy here at home. Hydrogen provides a way to achieve both.
The environmental benefits of hydrogen are also outstanding. When
used as an energy source, hydrogen produces no emissions besides water.
Zero polluting emissions, an amazing advance over the current sources
of energy that we use.
H.R. 5143 seeks the development of needed advances in hydrogen
technology by using our greatest national resource, our intelligent and
creative workforce. To address our critical energy challenge we must
bring our best and brightest to the task, and H-Prize does this.
An economy based on energy outside of fossil fuels is no longer
implausible. But to get there, we must invest in research and
development. Research grants are the basis of this process, but what we
have is a responsibility to find creative and new ways to inspire
researchers, business leaders, and our youth to solve the problems that
society faces. The H-Prize will help expand the possibilities of
hydrogen research,
[[Page H2349]]
promoting people not normally involved in Federal research and
development to explore avenues for a more secure energy future.
Hydrogen has the potential to reduce our Nation's dependence on
foreign oil, improve our air quality and maintain our economic
competitiveness. And the H-Prize will help take us there.
I thank Mr. Inglis for his leadership on this important issue, and I
am proud to have joined him in this effort. This legislation has
involved much bipartisan cooperation on the Science Committee, which I
appreciate, and it exemplifies the usual relationship on our committee
under the leadership of Chairman Boehlert and Ranking Member Gordon.
I hope that we can continue this cooperation on other critical issues
related to America's future technological competitiveness. We must work
together to encourage the creative talents that have made our country
the world leader in technology.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation which will provide
some of the encouragement that will better our Nation and the world.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, with great appreciation
for his skill and efficiency in moving the H-Prize through the
committee, I am very happy to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished
chairman of the Science Committee, Mr. Boehlert.
(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5143. And
I want to congratulate Chairman Inglis for bringing forward this
initiative and for pursuing it with both energy and open-mindedness.
This bill has moved swiftly through the Science Committee because
Chairman Inglis has been, at the same time, relentlessly focused on his
objective and open to compromise. That is how you get things
accomplished in this town. We need more Members more able to pair those
traits.
The H-Prize this bill creates would similarly allow the government
and the Nation to be both focused and open-minded in pursuit of the
hydrogen economy.
{time} 1100
Establishing an H-Prize would encourage the Nation's most creative
scientists and engineers and the public at large to focus on overcoming
the many technical challenges that stand between us and a hydrogen
economy.
At the same time, the H-Prize does not presume that any particular
technological path will lead us to the hydrogen economy. The bill
encourages any interested party to take on the technical risk needed to
pursue their particular notion of how to improve their production,
storage and distribution or use of hydrogen.
The National Academy of Sciences has encouraged the government to
experiment with prizes for precisely this reason. Prizes can draw out
new ideas from scientists and engineers who may not be willing or able
to participate in traditional government research and development
programs, while encouraging them, rather than the taxpayer, to assume
the risk.
Congress has been following the academy's lead. For example, the NASA
Authorization Act that was enacted last year created a prize program,
and the space agency has been implementing it. All of these programs
draw on several centuries of successfully using prizes to help spur
technological development, from the prize to invent a way to measure
longitude, a key to improving shipping, to the prize Charles Lindbergh
won for his transatlantic flight. Our hope is that the H-Prize will
result in a similar landmark achievement in the history of
transportation.
I want to emphasize, though, that the prizes are just one tool we
need to use to kick our Nation's addiction to oil.
Prizes need to be part of a balanced portfolio of measures to advance
technology, a portfolio that needs to include regulations and tax
incentives to create demand for new technologies, and traditional R&D
programs to ensure a steady stream of work on a range of short and
long-term technological questions.
Moreover, prizes are not the best tools to apply to all problems, but
they are especially well suited to hydrogen, because we need to solve
major long-term puzzles if the hydrogen economy is to become a reality.
We need to elicit every possible idea from every quarter to do that,
and we know it is going to take time to figure out what might work.
The bill structures the prize program to attack hydrogen questions in
several ways: With biannual prizes for advancements to encouraging
ongoing efforts and incremental progress, with biannual prizes for
prototypes to encourage continuing work on integrating technologies as
they develop, and with a grand prize to encourage work on the toughest
show stopper, if you will, problems that could prevent us from using
hydrogen as a fuel.
No one knows how all of this will turn out. That is the nature of
research and the nature of a prize program. But we know that the
potential benefits of hydrogen are worth the rather small investment
required for a prize program. Hydrogen holds out the promise of
becoming a clean, domestically produced fuel that could displace or
even replace gasoline as the way we power our cars and trucks.
To achieve this, we still need to figure out how to affordably
produce hydrogen using renewable energy, nuclear energy or coal with
carbon dioxide sequestration, how to affordably store hydrogen on board
a vehicle, how to make fuel cells and batteries more cheaply and have
them operate more efficiently and how to distribute hydrogen
economically.
That is a tall order, but it is exactly the kind of long-range effort
we need. It is an effort that needs to be combined with proven short-
range ways to reduce the use of gasoline like tighter fuel economy
standards, which this House is likely to debate next week.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, which was approved by the
committee by voice vote. It is the right way to help see if we can
radically change our energy future. Our dependence on foreign oil is a
national security threat.
We have ways to use every weapon in our arsenal, and we need to use
them to counter it.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Miller).
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I support this
legislation, but there is so much more that we need to be doing. In
fact, there is so much more that we should have done already. The task
before us, the urgent task before us, is to develop a practical,
sustainable energy source or array of sources that will allow this
Nation to be energy independent without busting the budget of middle
class families just to go to work, to take the kids to school, to go to
the grocery store.
We need practical, sustainable energy sources that do not emit the
greenhouse gases that many scientists, really most scientists now fear
will lead to catastrophic climate change, that will forever alter life
on this planet, and we need practical, sustainable energy sources that
will not so limit our options in foreign policy that we have to be
uncritical friends to some of the most unattractive nations or
governments in the world.
Mr. Speaker, we do need to pursue research into hydrogen, but we need
an effort comparable to the effort during World War II, the Manhattan
Project. We need an effort, to use Mr. Inglis' analogy, like the effort
that this Nation had in the 1960s to reach the Moon.
That is the effort we need to put behind developing alternative fuels
and conservation technologies and to move those energy and conservation
technologies into widespread commercial use.
I have sponsored legislation that Mr. Boehlert, the Chair of the
Science Committee who spoke a moment ago, and Mr. Markey, my Democratic
colleague, have introduced that would increase fuel efficiency
requirements for cars and trucks to 33 miles a gallon by 2015.
Mr. Speaker, that goal can be achieved now with existing
technologies, without any technological breakthrough. I feel almost
embarrassed at how modest that bill is, how lacking in ambition that
bill is. But even that the leadership of this House has not been
willing to bring to the floor for debate and for a vote.
But, Mr. Speaker, in our hearing on hydrogen technology, in our
hearing in the Science Committee on the H-Prize
[[Page H2350]]
legislation, one of the witnesses said that we could achieve cars and
trucks that average 100 miles a gallon in the relatively near future if
we really put our minds to it.
Why on Earth are we not doing that? Why on Earth are we not acting
with the urgency that our energy needs require?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the President's budget this year did
increase funding for research into sustainable energy sources. Mr.
Speaker, I regret that the President's budget found much of that
additional funding from cuts to energy efficiency efforts. We need to
proceed on several fronts at one time. We need to proceed without bias,
without preconception.
A hydrogen economy or hydrogen fuel cells may not be the winning
technology. As several of the speakers have said already, there are
huge obstacles to overcome. Yes, hydrogen is abundant, but not as
hydrogen. We need to find hydrogen sources, and the present source of
hydrogen is by stripping it out of other fuels. Yes, when hydrogen is
combined with oxygen to produce energy, that is a clean technology, but
stripping hydrogen from fuels now is not clean. It is a very dirty
technology, and the usual source of fuels from which it is stripped are
fossil fuels, not sustainable, renewable energy sources.
Mr. Speaker, hydrogen technology, to have a hydrogen fuel cell car in
every driveway, would make useless the infrastructure we now have, the
pipelines, the tanks, the pumps, to transport, to distribute a fuel
that is liquid on the planet Earth, which hydrogen is not.
So let's proceed. Let's proceed to develop, to provide an incentive
to the private sector to develop the kinds of technologies we are going
to need if hydrogen fuel cells are ever to be a practical source of
energy for us.
But let us proceed on several fronts. I hope this Congress will be
back soon. I will vote for this bill today, but I hope that Congress
will be back soon to consider other prizes for energy, other
alternative energy sources, other prizes for energy conservation, and
that this Congress gives the urgent attention to energy independence,
to sustainable energy sources that we desperately need, that the middle
class families now paying $3 a gallon desperately need.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to
the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), who is a
cochair of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus.
Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Inglis for his leadership on this
very important issue.
Mr. Speaker, American economic success has been built on innovation
and competition. By competing against one another to build a better
mousetrap, so to speak, American entrepreneurs have developed many
products, from early incandescent lights to the Model T automobile to
sophisticated computer hardware and software products of today, that
have certainly made our lives better and our quality of life better.
Today in an era of increasing fuel costs the drive to produce energy
economically can be advanced through this same kind of innovation and
competition. Fossil fuel technology was the impetus for 20th century
industrial development, but today hydrogen holds out promise for being
the driver of the economy of the future.
Of course, hydrogen is a fuel that can be produced domestically, thus
limiting our dependence on foreign petroleum products. I mean, that is
why I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of
2006.
As a founding member of the bipartisan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus,
along with Mr. Inglis and Mr. Wynn and Mr. Larson, I certainly applaud
Congressman Inglis' leadership on this issue.
I also wanted to point out, too, that in my district, headquartered,
is the largest producer of hydrogen in the world, Air Products and
Chemicals. They have told me on many occasions that they produce about
1.7 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per day, and they are producing that
for refineries, for the U.S. Government, the electronics industries and
other process industries.
But the bottom line is, they said that that 1.7 billion cubic feet is
enough to power seven million cars, hydrogen cars on the roads. That is
a lot of hydrogen, and we can do more.
The H-Prize Act, the H-Prize Act rewards those innovators and
creative thinkers who develop innovative hydrogen technologies. It
establishes four $1 million prizes, awarded every other year, to the
best advances in hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and
utilization. It authorizes an additional $1 million to that person or
group that develops superior hydrogen-powered vehicles or other
hydrogen-based products. It establishes a minimum lump sum of a $10
million prize award for the best transformational changes in
technologies for the production and distribution of hydrogen.
Now, as I speak these words today some scientist or engineer is out
there thinking of new ways to employ hydrogen technology to better
address our needs. It is my hope that these prizes will serve as an
incentive to those bright people as they push forward and develop these
products and thereby help relieve us from our dependence on foreign
energy.
Mr. Speaker, that is why I support this bill.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my
colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett), whose district has one of
the keys to this hydrogen future, Savannah River National Lab.
Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of
2006, and I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina and my
colleague for being such a strong proponent of hydrogen research in
this ongoing energy debate.
Representative Inglis is one of the leaders on this and I know
personally I always turn to him when I need some help and advice. He is
a cofounder of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, a caucus
dedicated to moving the country away from its dependence on foreign
oil, and toward a hydrogen economy.
The need to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy is
evident, Mr. Speaker. Our supply simply does not meet our ever growing
demand, and we are paying the price at the gas pump every day in this
country.
Further, our home State of South Carolina is poised to lead the
Nation towards a hydrogen-based economy. The State's strong
relationship with the automotive industry, Clemson's International
Center for Automotive Research, ICAR, USC's expertise with hydrogen
full cells, Aiken County's new hydrogen research laboratory, and the
Savannah River site's future with hydrogen research are examples of
what we are doing today for tomorrow.
Promoting the hydrogen economy will provide the missing component to
our country's energy portfolio, effectively making a strong movement
toward energy independence.
Public-private partnerships are a key component to accomplishing
energy independence. There is no doubt that the private sector is the
engine of growth and breeds innovation and ingenuity.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Inglis for understanding the
role the Federal Government has and not to come up with the idea or the
science, but rather to provide incentives and promote an atmosphere
that encourages such research to take place.
Mr. Speaker, I once again thank my good friend for introducing the H-
Prize Act of 2006 and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of energy
independence by supporting H.R. 5143.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.
Mr. Speaker, again I would like to urge my colleagues to vote in
favor of this bill.
{time} 1115
Our Nation's future depends on finding a solution to our critical
energy needs.
America has always been at the forefront of technological
breakthroughs. We have responded to great challenges, perhaps most
famously John F. Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the Moon by the
end of 1960s. And we have seen that prizes have a great effect to
inspire technological advances. As Mr.
[[Page H2351]]
Inglis stated earlier, he talked about Charles Lindbergh, a prize was
offered and Charles Lindbergh made that first solo flight across the
Atlantic.
The X Prize was put out there and we had the team put together a
private flight of a spaceship 100 kilometers above the Earth.
Challenges and prizes help spark the imagination of scientists,
engineers, and entrepreneurs who invest blood, sweat, tears and large
sums of money to achieve a great goal. But perhaps the greatest role
that the H-prize may serve is in spurring the imagination of our most
valuable resource, our youth.
Back in the 1970s there was great interest in solar power as an
alternative energy source. This was largely brought in by the OPEC
crisis of the early 1970s, the high oil prices, just as we see today.
So there is a great demand. We need something different and solar
energy was the big thing that we were looking at.
In my 8th grade science fair project I examined solar energy. I was
excited about the thought of moving beyond oil and moving to something
that would make us more secure and something that would be clean. I
read about it, and I moved forward; I did the science fair project.
Now, my science fair project in my own career as an engineer did not
ever find that solution to an alternative energy source. And
unfortunately it seemed that we got into the 1980s and what happened?
We lost that interest. Interest waned in finding alternative energy.
We cannot afford to let that happen again. All the focus today on
energy prices has probably helped to facilitate bringing this bill to
the floor for consideration today. Unfortunately, we often only act
during crises, which means we do not take the time to think big, to
make big plans and to dream big. America has been built on big dreams
and hard work. That is what has made America the greatest Nation on
Earth. That is why we need to think big in changing the energy that we
use today before it is too late, for our environment and for our
security. The H-Prize will help in doing this.
Perhaps there is a student out there today whose imagination will be
sparked by the H-Prize and he or she may become an engineer and some
day help develop the much-needed answers to today's energy problems. I
hope that that opportunity is out there today and this H-Prize provides
that inspiration to them.
So I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill today, and
perhaps one day we will look back on this day when the House passed the
H-Prize, look at it as a catalyst that led to a better, cleaner and
more secure America and world.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance
of my time.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank Mr. Lipinski for his
cooperative spirit and very helpful comments along the way. Mr.
Lipinski is our chief cosponsor and someone who has improved the bill
as it has worked its way through the process. Perhaps that is because
of a pleasant personal relationship and also my respect for his
expertise that made it easy for him to work with us, and I appreciate
the work that he did to improve the bill.
Along the way we did make improvements through the committee process,
and I appreciate the cooperative way that Mr. Lipinski and others on
the Democratic side of the aisle worked with us in the committee. The
result is a better bill and I am very appreciative of that.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I will introduce for the Record letters in support
of the H-Prize from the National Hydrogen Association, the Hydrogen
Advisory Council, the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, SAE International, Shell
Hydrogen, BMW, General Motors, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.,
Enertech Capital, Ion America, Tiax LLC, Protium Energy Technologies,
and professors from USC Davis and Purdue.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the great work of our
folks on the committee, particularly David Goldston was extremely
helpful in making all this happen. He works closely with Chairman
Boehlert. I also want to thank Mr. Gordon and, again, Mr. Lipinski and
other members of our staff that made it possible for us to get this
quickly to the House floor.
Let me close with this: We have an opportunity to solve America's
challenge in energy. It is a Republican problem. It is a Democratic
problem. It is an American problem. The good news is, it can have an
American solution.
This is an opportunity for a triple play. If we do this right, we can
improve our national security by ending our dependence on foreign oil.
We will still use foreign oil; of course, we will use oil for a long
time, but we can move away from the dependent state that we are in now,
dependent on places that are very unstable. So it is an opportunity to
improve our national security.
It is also, secondly, an opportunity to create jobs and economic
development, because if we can reinvent the car, imagine the jobs we
can create.
And then, third, for the third part of the triple play is an
opportunity to clean the air. Because whether it is an internal
combustion engine, the way that BMW intends to do it, or a fuel cell,
the way that General Motors intends to do it, the only emission out of
the back of the car is water. We want to incentivize those
breakthroughs.
There are some technological hurdles ahead, but with an H-Prize, with
the incentive from the Federal Government and the support of the
Federal Government saying we are going to do this, we are going to get
there, I believe that we will summon the creativity of inventors and
investors out there in America and around the world to try to win this
prize, and in the process, America will win with a triple play.
Mr. Speaker, the letters I referred to previously are as follows:
Hydrogen Advisory Council,
May 8, 2006.
Representative Bob Inglis,
Cannon HOB,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Inglis: On behalf of the Hydrogen Advisory
Council, I want to congratulate you on the movement of H.R.
5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006, through the House Science
Committee. We look forward to working with your office in the
near future to move this crucial legislation to the
President's desk.
As you know, the U.S. spent almost $250 billion on oil in
2005 and 25% of America's trade deficit currently comes from
importing oil. These staggering numbers combined with growing
instability in the world's oil producing regions is very
concerning, and the need for a domestic solution to the
nation's future energy needs has never been more apparent.
We believe that the solution is hydrogen. Not only does
hydrogen provide a clean and renewable source of energy for
the U.S., it will help create thousands of new jobs and
enhance our national security.
The H-Prize will help move the nation towards this goal. By
incentivizing key breakthroughs in hydrogen technology,
storage, production, and distribution, the H-Prize Act of
2006 will help speed the hydrogen economy to fruition.
Furthermore, the H-Prize will do this in a fiscally
responsible way by only awarding prize monies to technologies
that reach set performance metrics and by leveraging a
combination of federal dollars and private-sector investment
without impeding natural market forces.
The Hydrogen Advisory Council fully supports the H-Prize
Act of 2006 and will do all it can to assure its future
passage and utilization. Thank you again for your continued
leadership on hydrogen policy.
Cordially,
Robert S. Walker,
Chairman, Hydrogen Advisory Council.
____
The National Hydrogen Association,
May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Inglis: On behalf of the 102 members of
the National Hydrogen Association (NHA), I would like to
extend our hearty support for your H-Prize legislation, H.R.
5143. For over 17 years, we have been an association
dedicated to pursuing the research, development and
demonstration of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, leading
to a firm basis for establishing and growing a commercial
Hydrogen Economy. We believe that this latest version of the
bill will have an important affect upon how needed technical
breakthroughs occur.
Your bill promises to generate the drama and excitement of
genuine technological feats that might otherwise appear
obscure. Above and beyond the steady, devoted work of those
many scientists and engineers in our strong RD&D programs, we
need to build a sense of excitement, of the high value of
pursuing difficult tasks--something to dramatize our nation's
willingness to invest in this future. Prizes motivate and
inspire--if carefully focused, they can truly move technology
ahead.
This is something powerful that the federal government can
do together with industry,
[[Page H2352]]
by rewarding imagination and creating the climate for the
success of innovation. Whole new industries can be built
around these ideas, and we can accelerate the pace of
achieving them. Celebrate and accelerate--let's put the
hydrogen economy on a faster track.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey A. Serfass,
President.
____
U.S. Fuel Cell Council,
Washington, DC, May 8, 2006.
Hon. Robert Inglis,
Cannon HOB,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Inglis: On behalf of the U.S. Fuel Cell
Council, I am writing in support of the ``H-Prize'' Act of
2006 (H.R. 5143). The program proposed under this act
represents a creative mechanism to encourage high-risk
research and development that will help us commercialize fuel
cell and hydrogen technologies. Additionally, the H-Prize
will help increase public awareness--a necessary component to
improve general education and outreach.
In 2003, President Bush and Congress challenged American
industry, academia and other institutions to find new ways to
reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy based on
hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Congress recognized the need to bolster federal involvement
in developing these technologies last year when it passed the
Energy Policy Act of 2005. It is our hope that Congress
complements this achievement, passes the H-Prize, and funds
both programs accordingly.
The U.S. Fuel Cell Council has long held that the
development of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies need not
be entirely supported by federal investments. That said,
establishing an H-Prize can help leverage federal funding in
a way that rewards results and compliments DoE objectives.
America is leading the drive to develop fuel cell and
hydrogen technology; however, other countries are pursuing
very aggressive programs that may soon rival our own. To that
aim, we feel that the H-Prize can help America keep its
competitive edge as we work to create a cleaner, more
efficient and secure supply of energy.
Thank you for your leadership and consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert Rose,
Executive Director.
____
SAE International,
Warrendale, PA, May 9, 2006.
Representative Bob Inglis,
Fourth District,
South Carolina.
Dear Representative Inglis: I am writing to strongly
support the creation and implementation of the ``H-Prize''
Act of 2006, HR 5143. This Act, creating national prizes for
breakthroughs in hydrogen production, distribution, storage
and utilization, will greatly enhance the existing work being
done in advanced automotive technology research and
development and its supporting industries. Being that there
is no clear industry consensus on automotive propulsion
systems or their fuels for the future, it is clear that a
need exists for longer term solutions that will provide
energy independence for America, and hydrogen clearly can
lead us toward that goal.
It is critically important that research and development
activities increase so challenging issues can be resolved
sooner than current progress permits, awareness to industry
and the public is raised to a much higher level and that
preparation for consumer acceptance is advanced beginning in
the early phases of hydrogen technology development.
The ``H-Prize'' will support an important initiative toward
our longer term goals by providing near term impetus to
encourage innovations and solutions to the challenges posed,
I urge you to support this important bill.
Sincerely,
David L. Amati, Ph.D.,
Director, Automotive Business and
Automotive Headquarters.
____
Shell Hydrogen,
Houston, TX, May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Inglis: I write to you today in support of
H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006. I would like to commend
you for your leadership in introducing this legislation and
recognize the members of the Science Committee for endorsing
it as well. The creation of an H-Prize will further raise the
profile of hydrogen on the national stage and demonstrate
more direct and visible leadership from Congress on an
important issue for the economy, the environment and from a
national security perspective.
The goal of providing hydrogen as a fuel on a significant
scale requires a coordinated undertaking within all levels of
government, the automotive industry, and energy companies.
The federal government has an important role in fostering
technological innovation that has societal benefits--the
creation of the Hydrogen Prize is an important step because a
hydrogen economy will not emerge by virtue of technology
alone. Any further developments will be a combination of
technology, economics and policy decisions.
One of the strongest points in support of an H-Prize is the
ability to stimulate involvement and innovation across a much
broader community than is possible with DOE funding alone.
For example, student competitions, universities, small labs,
start-up companies, even folks in their garages can
participate--which has been a hallmark of American ingenuity
and competitiveness in so many other pioneering areas. An H-
Prize can only accelerate commercialization and increase
public awareness in support of the growing global market.
In closing, I would again like to voice my support of this
legislation. It is imperative that we find innovative ways to
realize the benefits of hydrogen as a clean, competitive and
sustainable energy solution.
Sincerely,
Phillip T. Baxley,
President.
____
BMW of North America,
Woodcliff Lake, NJ, May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Inglis: The BMW Group enthusiastically
supports the H-Prize Act of 2006 (H.R. 5143).
The BMW Group strongly believes that liquid hydrogen fueled
internal combustion engines are a viable clean energy
solution. They will also provide the level of driving
dynamics that our customers expect. BMW continues to invest
in hydrogen technology and to work with other companies and
industries on the infrastructure issues that need to be
solved in order to make the use of hydrogen a reality in the
United States.
While BMW will compete aggressively to win the H-Prize, the
award is more important than an individual corporate victory.
It is time for everyone in the country--consumers, government
leaders, and industry--to expand their horizons to find new
and innovative ways to address energy and clean air issues.
The answer will not come from one technology or one piece of
legislation or regulation, but from providing incentives to
let people explore a range of options to achieve the common
objective. The H-Prize initiative supports the ``can do''
attitude that is such an important part of the American
landscape.
Copies of this letter will be sent to the leadership of the
House and the Science Committee urging them to support your
effort.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Purves,
President.
____
General Motors Corporation,
Washington, DC, May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Inglis: General Motors is working aggressively to
improve the efficiency of our vehicles through the
application of new technologies like flex fuel vehicles and
hybrid-electric drives. However, we believe that hydrogen
fuel cells offer the opportunity to take a quantum leap in
reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and the overall
environmental impacts of vehicles. GM's goal is to design and
validate a fuel-cell propulsion system for passenger vehicles
by 2010 which is competitive with current internal combustion
systems on durability and performance, and that ultimately
can be built at scale affordably.
We believe that H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006, could
help us reach that goal, and help to hasten the
transformation to a hydrogen economy. The bill would
establish a series of prestigious, national prizes to attract
the brightest entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers to
hydrogen research. Of particular importance, the bill would
provide for up to four $1 million prizes biennially for the
most significant breakthroughs in hydrogen storage,
production, utilization, and distribution; and a biennial $4
million prize for the most successful prototype use of
hydrogen.
Taken together, these prizes can help to attract the
interest of new companies and researchers to fields relevant
to the hydrogen economy. To ensure that this legislation does
not have the unintended consequence of reducing the funding
available to the Department of Energy's hydrogen and fuel
cell programs, we urge you to consider designating the
Department of Commerce, for example, to act as the
administrating agency--in consultation with the DOE. However,
this concern should not delay the House from moving quickly
to pass the bill.
We urge the House to pass the H-Prize Act of 2006.
Sincerely,
Ken W. Cole,
Vice President, Government Relations.
____
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.,
Allentown, PA, May 8, 2006.
Hon. Robert D. Inglis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Inglis: On behalf of Air Products and
Chemicals, Inc., I would like to express our support for the
``H-Prize'' Act of 2006 (H.R. 5143). The program proposed
under this act will be instrumental to encourage developments
that could lead the United States from our financially
draining dependence on foreign oil. Additionally, the
projects will be crucial to build public awareness and
acceptance of a hydrogen-based fuel economy within the United
States.
As the world's leading producer of third-party hydrogen, we
at Air Products live the
[[Page H2353]]
reality of commercial hydrogen production, storage, and
distribution--a world largely unnoticed by the general
public. Air Products has been providing hydrogen to the U.S.
Government, oil refiners, the electronics industry, and other
process industries for decades; we currently produce and
deliver over 1.7 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per day. This
is enough hydrogen to keep 7 million cars on the road, today.
We will bring on-stream an additional 240 million cubic feet
per day of production in just the next several months, and
more capacity will follow.
From our position in today's hydrogen economy, and as a
U.S. company, Air Products sees a visible commitment from our
federal government as an essential ingredient to accelerate
the U.S. toward a more secure future. Our country has
established itself as a leader in the hydrogen economy, a
justifiable source of national pride that is greatly
underappreciated. A critical element in keeping this lead is
visible support from the federal government. Moreover, while
hydrogen initiatives are advancing, the pace of development
could be increased. The fiscally responsible nature of the
``H-Prize'' program will publicize the realities of hydrogen
accomplishments, and encourage additional developments.
Americans love a good competition.
We support and encourage the efforts of the federal
government to work with industry and academia to drive the
U.S. toward a larger-scale hydrogen economy. The ``H-Prize''
program could contribute greatly to recognize accomplishments
that will improve our environment, enhance energy efficiency,
and secure future energy supply needs. We look forward to
helping to meet the growing clean energy needs of all
Americans. Thank you for your consideration, and we trust
that your colleagues will support the ``H-Prize'' initiative.
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Mutchler,
General Manager--Integrated Businesses.
____
Enertech,
Wayne, PA, May 9, 2006.
Representative Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Inglis: I am writing in support of
creation of the ``H-Prize'' act of 2006, H.R. 5143. This act,
when implemented, will create a series of national prizes for
the most significant breakthroughs in hydrogen production,
distribution, storage, and utilization. I am particularly
interested in the grand prize that enables a match of any
venture capital raised by the grand prize winner. This may
aid in the capitalization and commercialization of important
new technologies, and lay the foundation for creation of new
jobs and potentially enhance national security.
As a managing partner in one of the most established
venture capital funds that has targeted energy and clean
technologies, I have a strong interest in encouraging our
emerging scientists and engineers to develop breakthrough
technologies and solutions which may yield some of the most
important venture capital investments ever made in this
country.
There are numerous challenges that exist in the development
of a viable hydrogen economy. They include: (1) the
development of safe, light-weight, low-cost hydrogen storage
for onboard vehicles and at refueling stations; (2) the
development of inexpensive, durable, and efficient fuel cell
systems for vehicle propulsion; and (3) the integration of
this technology into the infrastructure and respective supply
chains. All of these activities could benefit from a well-
designed nationally sponsored competition.
I believe that a competition, as envisioned by the act,
will have benefit for individual contributors, venture
capitalists interested in the emerging energy technology
space, and for the country at large. There is a wide gulf
today in the beliefs about the timelines for the
implementation of important technologies in the hydrogen
arena. This competition may raise the interest, and attention
of our scientific community, and enable the continued
development of technologies that encounter the gulf between
scientific advancement and the first steps towards
commercialization.
The announcement of these awards should generate
significant press and media interest, and will further raise
the awareness among the nation's brightest students,
scientists and engineers to this critically important area.
We have a tremendous opportunity in this country to turn our
attention to a critically important and fundamental need.
This H-prize can help direct our best minds towards solving
some of the most important energy challenges of our time. I
encourage you and your colleagues to support this important
bill. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Bill Kingsley,
Managing Partner.
____
Ion America,
Sunnyvale, CA, May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Inglis: I am writing in support of HR
5143. As the CEO of a leading fuel cell company dedicated to
utilizing technology to address our nation's energy problems.
I applaud and support your efforts to create incentives for
the private sector to achieve solutions that will help our
country succeed in the 21st century.
As you know, 25 percent of America's trade deficit comes
from importing oil and the U.S. spent around $250 billion on
oil in 2005 alone. It's time to end our oil addiction and one
way to achieve that goal is to begin to transition to a
sustainable hydrogen economy. By transitioning to hydrogen,
we can leapfrog debates on environment and climate change,
create thousands of new high value jobs, and enhance national
security. The ``H-Prize'' will help move the Nation towards
this transition.
By providing for up to four $1 million prizes biennially
for the most significant breakthroughs in hydrogen storage,
production, utilization, and distribution; and a biennial $4
million prize for the most successful prototype use of
hydrogen, this Act will truly make a difference.
The H-Prize will provide necessary federal leadership to
incentivize private dollars without impeding market forces.
As with many prizes in the past, the private-sector
investment towards winning the prize is often many times the
amount of the prize itself.
The H-Prize signals to those of us who are working in clean
energy technology that the Federal government is a committed
partner in our quest for energy security and a cleaner
environment.
Best regards,
KR Sridhar,
CEO.
____
TIAX,
Cambridge, MA, May 9, 2006.
Representative Bob Inglis,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Inglis: TIAX LLC is pleased to offer
our support of the ``H-Prize'' Act of 2006 (HR 5143) to
establish a series of prestigious, national prizes that would
attract leading entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers into
hydrogen research. We believe that the establishment of this
prize would accelerate the development of the technologies
required for the commercialization of hydrogen fueled
vehicles.
The Act would provide up to four $1 million prizes
biennially for the most significant breakthroughs in hydrogen
storage, production, utilization, and distribution: and a
biennial $4 million prize for the most successful prototype
use of hydrogen.
TIAX is a leading technology development firm in Cambridge,
Mass., with a history of supporting the efforts of DOE and
industry in assessing the technologies needed to implement
highly efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as
other options for improving the fuel efficiency of our
transportation system. Our experience in this field suggests
that the H-Prize Act of 2006, while certainly not being a
substitute for the DOE's current hydrogen program, would
greatly help stimulate the creative thinking needed to
address the multiple challenges associated with the use of
hydrogen.
We believe that the H-Prize would generate significant
interest among a wide range of academic institutions and
small businesses to accelerate R&D in this complex field. Its
existence would likewise emphasize the importance that
Congress is placing on addressing our reliance on imported
oil with its increasingly negative economic and national
security implications.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further
assistance.
Best regards,
John M. Collins,
President.
____
Protium Energy Technologies,
Emmaus, PA, May 9, 2006.
Hon. Bob Inglis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Inglis: I applaud you for introducing, and
the House Science Committee for moving the H-Prize bill (H.R.
5143) forward for consideration by the full House. Thank you
for your vision and leadership in trying to establish a prize
program to encourage breakthrough developments in hydrogen
technology.
As a hydrogen energy consultancy business owner, and as an
individual who has focused his energies over the last 14
years on the development and advancement of hydrogen as an
energy option, I can tell you that this legislation will play
an extremely important role in accelerating the creation of
new energy options for our Nation. That H-Prize Act by
establishing a series of prestigious, national prizes will
attract the brightest entrepreneurs, scientists, and
engineers to hydrogen research. I also believe that the
creation of these prizes will serve to invigorate interest on
the part of our younger generation, in science and math
education, and prepare them to tackle our critical energy
supply issues.
The hydrogen economy is not as far away as many think. With
key developments in hydrogen technology, we can make our
country less dependent on oil and thus more secure; generate
jobs and new industry by reinventing the way we power our
economy while cleaning up the environment. The $11 million in
annual appropriations authorized by this legislation is but a
small investment in helping solve one of the major problems
faced by society in the 21st century.
In addition to my private business endeavors, I have served
voluntarily on numerous public initiatives to promote
hydrogen as an energy carrier including serving as a trustee
of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) based in
Washington, D.C. and have had the privilege of serving on the
Board of Directors for over 10 years including as Chairman
during 1997-1999. I respectfully refer you to my
[[Page H2354]]
web site for more background, www.protiumenergy.com.
In closing I once again want to thank you for your
consideration efforts in moving this idea forward and would
wholeheartedly urge the House to pass this important
supplement to the ongoing Department of Energy Hydrogen R&D
program which must continue. My thanks to you and your
colleagues for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Venki Raman, Ph.D.,
President, Protium Energy Technologies.
Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5143, the H-
Prize Act of 2006, a bill that represents a significant step towards
our Country's energy independence.
The recent rise in gas prices has only magnified the United States'
overwhelming reliance on oil. We cannot allow our economy to be held
captive by nations such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, whose
manipulation of the world oil market can cause massive price
disruptions at home. Obviously, we need another way.
The forecasts of future high oil prices make possible other options,
and to further transition our economy away from its dependence on
foreign oil we must pursue all of them--nuclear, renewables such as
ethanol and biodiesel, wind, solar--and expand our domestic oil
supplies by drilling in ANWR and offshore. One of the most promising of
these alternatives is hydrogen power. Hydrogen's huge advantage is that
it can be created from virtually any energy source, both conventional
or unconventional. Indeed, in my district a company is planning to
build a ``green hydrogen'' plant that will use waste materials that
often end up in landfills. Broadening the materials that can be used as
primary energy sources increases our chances at reducing our energy
imports from overseas. And furthermore, by lowering emissions of
pollutants and greenhouse gases, hydrogen power is good for the
environment, too.
By establishing a national prize competition for innovations in
hydrogen power, the H-Prize Act will summon our Nation's best and
brightest to the challenge of overcoming the technical hurdles that
stand in the way of the hydrogen economy. Government initiatives are no
match for the entrepreneurial power of the private sector to discover a
way to make hydrogen a viable alternative to oil.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Messrs. Inglis, Lipinski, and Boehlert for
their hard work on this bill, and urge my colleagues to support it.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the need for hydrogen energy
is vital in a time when our dependence on foreign oil is placing a
heavy burden on our economy. H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006 will
establish a prize competition to encourage the development of
breakthrough technologies that would make hydrogen a practical
alternative to foreign oil in our transportation sector. Hydrogen holds
out the promise of being a non-polluting fuel since water vapor is the
only byproduct of consuming it.
Currently, much research is needed in order for hydrogen to be
stored, economically distributed, and used efficiently in cars. In
order to facilitate this research, prize programs such as this one
encourage more work to be done on the matter without putting much money
up front. Thus, monetary awards offered for hydrogen production,
storage distribution and utilization creation of a working hydrogen
vehicle prototype research are essential to promote research in these
areas.
Private entities invest far more in research to win a prize than the
government pays out in the prize reward. However, making this contest
open to all people, especially minorities, women and disadvantaged
enterprises, can help contribute significantly to these efforts.
Hydrogen technology seems ideal for a prize contest as long as it is
advertised to a diverse segment of the population which includes
minorities, women, small and disadvantaged businesses. Since, hydrogen
technologies hold the promise of enormous reward, it is wise to
encourage all to compete and provide them tools that assist in this
area. At the end of the day, the Hydrogen Prize Act will help promote
innovative results from a diverse community that will reduce technical
and others barriers to the advancement of hydrogen technologies and the
betterment of America.
Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
bill. For several years now, I have been supporting hydrogen research
efforts at Kennedy Space Center and at the Florida Institute of
Technology. We are making progress, but still have a long way to go if
we are to utilize hydrogen as a common source of energy.
The H-Prize Act of 2006, which will advance the research,
development, demonstration, and commercial application of hydrogen
energy technologies, is a critical initiative in our national efforts
to make hydrogen a viable energy alternative.
Hydrogen is a very promising source of energy that is both renewable
and environmentally friendly. Most importantly, it is also an energy
source that can be generated domestically without relying on imported
energy products from unstable regions of the world.
I fully support the format for this initiative, which will award
prizes based on the technologies developed. The prize format will save
American taxpayers money as compared to the standard funding of
research and development programs. Also, The cost to the American
taxpayer from the H-Prize program is very minimal as compared to the
returns that could be realized through a domestically renewable energy
source.
By delivering feasible technologies in the areas of hydrogen
production, storage, distribution, and utilization, the H-Prize program
will solve the most problematic issues in making hydrogen a workable
solution. In addition, the H-Prize program will advance the crucial
efforts to develop prototypes of hydrogen-powered vehicles and,
eventually, production vehicles.
Taken together, the technological advancements born out of the H-
Prize program will deliver transformational changes to our energy and
transportation sectors. Creative initiatives like the H-Prize will help
us move toward energy independence.
Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Conaway). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Inglis) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5143, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
____________________