February 26, 2004

By: Sergei Bergen
Website: http://www.1st-in-cars.com

Cox, Wyden Introduce Bipartisan Initiative to Promote Hydrogen Fuel Cell Filling Stations

House Policy Chairman Christopher Cox and Senator Ron Wyden today announced a bipartisan, bicameral effort to ensure that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can fill up on the road.

The effort is designed to reduce dependence on foreign oil by providing incentives to speed to market the fueling stations and infrastructure necessary to support drivers of hydrogen vehicles.

Commercially available hydrogen-powered cars will soon be a reality, but consumers will not buy them until they are confident that they can refuel on America’s road and highways, Chairman Cox said. And significant investment in hydrogen distribution and retail sales networks will likely await heavy retail demand. It’s the classic chicken and egg problem. The automakers have never been in the gasoline business, and have expressed no interest in the hydrogen business. But without widely available refueling stations, no one will buy hydrogen-fueled cars.

A nationwide infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations is not currently in prospect—and may never be, without millions of Americans driving hydrogen-fueled cars, Chairman Cox continued. That is why we are proposing investment incentives for hydrogen production, distribution, and retail sale.

Unlike traditional gasoline powered vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce no harmful emissions. Water is the only byproduct produced when hydrogen fuel is used to power a vehicle. As a result, hydrogen powered vehicles offer an environmentally-sensible alternative that can reduce air pollution and counter the threat of global warming. This is the first bipartisan proposal that brings together environmentalists and the industry to get America moving under hydrogen power in the next decade, said Sen. Wyden. Our bill will provide concrete rewards for everyone who takes steps to put hydrogen fuel cell cars on the road and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

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