WASHINGTON — ICYMI, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Founding President and Board Chair James Dozier and Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) President and CEO Frank Wolak penned an op-ed published in RealClearEnergy marking National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day by honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and the bipartisan congressional leaders who built the foundation for America’s hydrogen and fuel cell industry.
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Today marks the 12th annual National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day, first launched by FCHEA in 2014 and now celebrated every October 8 in recognition of the atomic weight of hydrogen: 1.008, or 10/08. Hydrogen Day is meant to showcase the vast landscape of industry, investment, applications and benefits hydrogen and fuel cell technologies bring not just to the U.S., but the larger global energy ecosystem.
As we commemorate this occasion, it is important for us to recognize many of the members of Congress who have played a role in shaping the hydrogen and fuel cell sector that exists today.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was among an early generation of congressional leaders who recognized hydrogen’s potential to strengthen America’s energy and environmental security, technological leadership and economic competitiveness. Over twenty years ago, Senator Graham worked across the aisle with then Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to form the bipartisan Senate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, aimed at educating their colleagues in Congress on the potential of hydrogen. Together, they helped shape the modern federal framework for the Hydrogen Program at the Department of Energy (DOE). They saw the value in investing in innovative research, development and demonstration (RD&D) and the return that investment could bring not just to their home states, but to the entire country. Their legacy in spearheading critical hydrogen research still lives on at DOE today, now under the Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO).
Graham and Dorgan were hardly alone. For more than two decades, the congressional hydrogen caucuses have maintained bipartisan leadership, with champions including Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Reps. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). That bipartisan commitment has shown up in concrete policy as much as in caucus rosters. Well before today’s hydrogen production tax credit existed, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) championed tax incentives to help bring fuel cell and other advanced vehicles into the marketplace. Years later, Rep. Larson and lawmakers like Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) would continue to push for tax incentives supporting clean hydrogen production and deployment.
Today, fuel cell cars and buses are on the road in multiple states, major companies and utilities are installing fuel cells for primary or backup power and tens of thousands of fuel cell forklifts are operating in warehouses and distribution centers across the country. DOE is supporting geologic hydrogen exploration, the deployment of natural gas fuel cells with data centers, and the domestic production of hydrogen-derived ammonia, fertilizer and other commodity fuels. Industry is proving it is up for the challenge with technologies and products that can support a more diverse and resilient energy system, strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains and bolster U.S. technological leadership.
Recent policy battles have shown how congressional support for hydrogen and fuel cells is expanding across the country. During last year’s debate over energy tax policy, FCHEA and CRES Forum joined to lead efforts to create a coalition of lawmakers, organizations and industry, working with congressional champions, like Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), to preserve critical tax credits for hydrogen production. And across the country, lawmakers from both parties have worked to highlight the value of the DOE Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program to catalyze investment, job creation and kick-start regional industrial hydrogen economies.
Today, the hydrogen and fuel cell sector has evolved into a commercial and global industry, expanding into new sectors while still growing in existing ones. DOE, through the AFFO and National Laboratories, continues to drive innovative research and private sector partnerships that are generating environmental and economic benefits at the local, state and federal levels. FCHEA and its members, CRES Forum, and the larger hydrogen and fuel cell community remain steadfast and optimistic that continued progress in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies will carry forward the legacy of members like Senator Graham, who had the vision to promote innovative technologies to secure America’s energy future.
We dedicate this National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day to Senator Graham and the congressional leaders who helped build the foundation for today’s hydrogen and fuel cell sector and position the U.S. as a global leader in hydrogen innovation and deployment.
Authored by Frank Wolak, President and CEO of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) and James Dozier, Founding President and Board Chair of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum.