Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§12401 Finding, purposes, and definitions

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 128— - HYDROGEN RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM › § 12401

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires the Secretary of Energy to speed up U.S. efforts to make hydrogen cheaply and in large amounts so the country can depend less on conventional fuels. The Secretary must run research, testing, and demonstration projects to produce, store, move, and use hydrogen for industry, homes, vehicles, and utilities. The Secretary must also set up a program to evaluate technologies and share information with federal agencies and industry, and focus on using renewable energy to make hydrogen. Critical technology — a technical problem the Secretary says needs work to move hydrogen forward. Department — the Department of Energy. Secretary — the Secretary of Energy.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §12401

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Congress finds that it is in the national interest to accelerate efforts to develop a domestic capability to economically produce hydrogen in quantities that will make a significant contribution toward reducing the Nation’s dependence on conventional fuels.
(b)The purposes of this chapter are—
(1)to direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a research, development, and demonstration program leading to the production, storage, transport, and use of hydrogen for industrial, residential, transportation, and utility applications;
(2)to direct the Secretary to develop a technology assessment and information transfer program among the Federal agencies and aerospace, transportation, energy, and other entities; and
(3)to develop renewable energy resources as a primary source of energy for the production of hydrogen.
(c)As used in this chapter, the term:
(1)“critical technology” (or “critical technical issue”) means a technology (or issue) that, in the opinion of the Secretary, requires understanding and development in order to take the next needed step in the development of hydrogen as an economic fuel or storage medium;
(2)“Department” means the Department of Energy; and
(3)“Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 104–271, § 101(a), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “to direct the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive 5-year comprehensive program management plan that will identify and resolve critical technical issues necessary for the realization of a domestic capability to produce, distribute, and use hydrogen economically within the shortest time practicable;”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–271, § 101(b), added par. (2) and redesignated former par. (2) as (3).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–271, § 1, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3304, provided that: “This Act [enacting section 7238 of this title, amending this section and sections 12402 to 12405, 12407, 12408, and 13436 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under section 7238, 12403, and 13436 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Hydrogen Future Act of 1996’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 101–566, title I, § 101, Nov. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 2797, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be referred to as the ‘Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1990’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 12401

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73