42 U.S.C. § 16154 — Clean hydrogen research and development program

(a) In general — Working with other federal agencies and the private sector, the Secretary must run a crosscutting research and development program — called "the program" — covering how hydrogen energy, fuel cells, and related infrastructure are produced, processed, purified, distributed, stored, and used. (b) Goals — The program's goals are (1) advancing research and development to demonstrate and commercialize clean hydrogen in transportation, utilities, industry, commerce, and homes; and (2) demonstrating a standard of clean hydrogen production in those same sectors by 2040. (c) Focus — The Secretary must focus on what's common to building hydrogen infrastructure and supplying vehicles and power for key consumer and business needs — steadily improving technology and cutting costs, especially for producing, supplying, storing, and using hydrogen in ways that (1) keep increasing production, distribution, and end-use efficiency while cutting lifecycle emissions; (2) solve key problems with catalysts, membranes, storage, lightweight materials, electronic controls, manufacturability, and other issues that come up; (3) boost hydrogen production from fossil fuels paired with carbon capture, utilization, and storage, plus renewable fuels, biofuels, and nuclear energy; and (4) enable wider use of distributed electricity generation and storage. (d) Public education and research — The Secretary must support expanded public education and research at colleges and universities in basic science, application design, and systems concepts — including materials, subsystems, manufacturability, maintenance, and safety — related to hydrogen and fuel cells. (e) Activities — Working with the private sector, the Secretary must advance and support (1) setting a series of technology cost goals aimed at the clean hydrogen production standard developed under section 16166(a); (2) producing clean hydrogen from diverse sources, including (A) fossil fuels with carbon capture, utilization, and storage, (B) hydrogen-carrier fuels like ethanol and methanol, (C) renewable sources including biomass, (D) nuclear energy, and (E) any other method the Secretary finds appropriate; (3) using clean hydrogen for commercial, industrial, and residential electric power; (4) using clean hydrogen in industry, including steelmaking, cement, chemical feedstocks, and process heat; (5) using clean hydrogen to heat homes and businesses and supply hot water; (6) delivering hydrogen or hydrogen-carrier fuels safely and efficiently, including (A) pipeline transmission, including retrofitting existing natural gas infrastructure, (B) tanks and other distribution methods, and (C) convenient, affordable refueling of vehicles, locomotives, ships, or planes, either (i) at central stations or (ii) through onsite generation; (7) advanced technology for vehicles, locomotives, ships, or planes, including (A) engine and emission control systems, (B) energy storage, electric propulsion, and hybrid systems, (C) materials, and (D) other advanced technologies; (8) storing hydrogen or hydrogen-carrier fuels, including developing materials for safe, affordable storage as gas, liquid, or solid; (9) developing safe, durable, affordable, efficient fuel cells, including fuel-flexible power systems, better manufacturing, high-temperature membranes, cost-effective natural gas fuel processing, reliable fuel cell stacks and systems, low-temperature operation, and cold-start ability; (10) helping domestic hydrogen equipment makers manufacture competitive technology in the U.S.; (11) using clean hydrogen in transportation — light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles, rail, aviation, and maritime; and (12) working with other agencies to develop uniform codes and standards for safely and consistently deploying and commercializing clean hydrogen technology. (f) Program goals — (1) Vehicles: the goals are (A) getting automakers to commit, by 2015, to offering safe, affordable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to mass-market consumers; and (B) enabling production, delivery, and consumer acceptance of model year 2020 hydrogen vehicles that, compared to 2005 light-duty vehicles, have (i) substantially better fuel economy, (ii) substantially lower air pollution, and (iii) equal or better crash safety and occupant protection. (2) Hydrogen energy and infrastructure: the goals are enabling a commitment by 2015 leading to infrastructure by 2020 that provides (A) safe, convenient refueling; (B) better overall efficiency; (C) widespread domestic hydrogen availability through (i) production that considers emissions, (ii) delivery, including pipelines and other methods, and (iii) storage, including in vehicles; (D) hydrogen for fuel cells, combustion engines, and other devices used in portable, stationary, micro, critical-needs, and transportation settings; and (E) other technologies matching the Department's plan. (3) Fuel cells: the goals are enabling (A) safe, affordable, environmentally sound hydrogen fuel cells; (B) fuel cells for light-duty and other vehicles; and (C) other technologies matching the Department's plan. (g) Funding — (1) The Secretary must run these programs through a competitive, merit-based review process, following the usual federal rules for financial assistance, contracts, and other agreements. (2) Activities may be funded through nationally recognized university-based or federal laboratory research centers. (h) Hydrogen supply — Congress authorized, for hydrogen production, storage, distribution, dispensing, transport, education, coordination, and technology transfer: $160,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; $200,000,000 for 2007; $220,000,000 for 2008; $230,000,000 for 2009; $250,000,000 for 2010; and whatever sums are needed for each year from 2011 through 2020. (i) Fuel cell technologies — Congress authorized: $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; $160,000,000 for 2007; $170,000,000 for 2008; $180,000,000 for 2009; $200,000,000 for 2010; and whatever sums are needed for each year from 2011 through 2020. (j) Targets — No later than 180 days after November 15, 2021, the Secretary had to set targets for the program addressing near-term (up to 2 years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up to 15 years) challenges to advancing clean hydrogen systems and technologies.