Reps. Doyle, Fitzpatrick and Lamb introduce clean hydrogen energy act

A group of Congress members from Pennsylvania introduced a bill this week in the U.S. House of Representatives that would invest in the development of clean hydrogen technologies to produce hydrogen energy.

The Clean Hydrogen Energy Act (H.R. 4909) – introduced by U.S. Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Conor Lamb (D-PA) – would create a hydrogen research and development (R&D) program focused on near-, medium-, and long-term goals for driving down costs for all sources of hydrogen production.  Further, it directs the Secretary of Energy to create a national strategy and roadmap to facilitate widescale production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen.

“In the fight against climate change, hydrogen has the potential to be the best tool we have,” Doyle said. “Hydrogen can decarbonize transportation, power generation, and the industrial sector all while utilizing existing infrastructure and fuel supplies. The U.S. needs to make strong investments into reducing the cost of making clean hydrogen and in developing its end uses, and this legislation does just that. It’s important that the U.S. lead the way on developing this technology and making our industries the cleanest in the world. It would not only be good for the environment; it would grow jobs and the economy as well.”

Specifically, the legislation would develop four hydrogen “hubs” in geographically diverse areas with hubs focused on the end uses of power generation, transportation, home, and commercial heating, and industry. The hubs would enable coordination of projects to build out hydrogen production, storage, and use facilities. It would also provide grants for the buildout of manufacturing centers for producing hydrogen or the infrastructure for its transmission, storage, and use.

“Providing funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technology paves the way for our nation’s clean energy future,” Fitzpatrick said. “We must commit to investing in clean energy technologies to reduce our carbon emissions while creating new American job opportunities. Now is the time to pass this much-needed legislation which advances the production, distribution, and storage of clean hydrogen.”

The lawmakers point out that the combustion of burning hydrogen gas (H2) produces no greenhouse gases, only water vapor (H2O) and small amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx). The key to widespread adoption of hydrogen as an energy source is developing technology to produce hydrogen that requires less energy than a given unit of hydrogen produces, they added.

“Hydrogen represents an exciting opportunity to advance our energy, industrial, and transportation sectors for the 21st century – creating jobs while protecting our environment,” Lamb said. “That potential is what makes investing in this cutting-edge technology commonsense for Western Pennsylvania, and our country.”