Innovative energy solutions will help us transition from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives, reduce pollution, and create good jobs. Congressman Peters co-introduced the Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (HIFIA) to complement historic clean energy funding.
Learn more about the bill in this September 29th piece from Global Hydrogen Review, posted below:
Introduction of new legislation to promote the innovative use of hydrogen
By Bella Weetch
September 29, 2022
US Congress representatives, Mike Doyle (D-PA-18), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Scott Peters (D-CA-52), and David McKinley (R-WV-01), have introduced legislation to promote the innovative use of hydrogen in industry, and the development of transportation and storage infrastructure for hydrogen.
Representatives Doyle, Fitzpatrick, Peters and McKinley introduced the Hydrogen for Industry Act, and Representatives Peters, Fitzpatrick and Doyle introduced the Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have introduced the Hydrogen for Industry Act and the Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in the Senate.
The Hydrogen for Industry Act would establish a grant programme to support commercial scale demonstration projects for end use industrial applications of hydrogen, including in the production of steel, cement, glass, and chemicals. Industrial processes have specific technical requirements that limit the options for substituting low-carbon heat sources. Hydrogen can supply reliable, high-temperature, carbon-free heat, reducing emissions in the industrial sector.
The Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (HIFIA) would create a pilot financing programme to provide grants and flexible, low-interest loans for retrofitted or new hydrogen transport infrastructure, storage projects, and refuelling stations. The programme is modelled after the highly-successful TIFIA and WIFIA programmes for highway and water infrastructure, and builds on similar goals as the CIFIA programme for carbon dioxide (CO2) infrastructure. The bill would also require a study to address outstanding questions related to the transport and storage of hydrogen, and an assessment of jurisdiction over siting, construction, safety, and regulation of hydrogen transport infrastructure.
“Hydrogen technology can bring us into a cleaner energy future and help American industries not only reduce their CO2 emissions but make carbon-free products that can be models for the world,” said Congressman Doyle. “Our industries are already some of the cleanest out there, and with investment from the federal government they can lead the way in developing new technologies in heavy industrial production. With increased hydrogen use, we will need a robust transportation infrastructure to move it around, and that’s why we need a strategic investment like HIFIA to get the hydrogen to market. I am proud to be working with such great colleagues on this issue and look forward to making America a leader in clean energy technologies for the future.”
“The Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (HIFIA) will help kickstart the hydrogen economy in Southern California and beyond, creating good paying jobs and reducing local pollution,” said Rep. Peters. “Combined with historic hydrogen investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, HIFIA will help finance hydrogen transportation infrastructure and ensure more communities can benefit from using a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels for heavy-duty trucks, industrial processes, and other hard-to-electrify sectors.”
“Providing funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technology will pave the way to a clean energy future in the US” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made significant strides in the hydrogen and energy space, and we must continue to 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 will support commercial projects and bolster hydrogen as a beneficial energy source.”
“America has always been the leader in energy innovation,” Congressman McKinley said. “Hydrogen will play an important role in maintaining American energy security, and investing in this promising technology will keep us at the cutting edge. This bill will help American companies create jobs and reduce emissions.”
Hydrogen’s versatility as an energy carrier and feedstock and its lack of greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use makes it an attractive alternative to fossil fuels, especially for hard-to-abate energy sectors such as shipping and industry. However, early adopters of hydrogen face cost barriers and first-mover risks that require federal support to overcome. As a result, significant investment is needed in all parts of the value chain to drive a robust hydrogen economy in the US.