Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§16157 Demonstration

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 149— - NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY AND PROGRAMS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VIII— - HYDROGEN › § 16157

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must pay for a limited number of demonstration projects that test hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Projects must be chosen based on how ready, cost-effective, and environmentally sound the technology is. The work should use hydrogen at existing places (like buildings, military bases, transit centers, or national parks), provide reliable power for essential needs, help bring hydrogen tech into the market, include vehicle, portable, and stationary demonstrations, link fuel demand and fueling infrastructure, raise public awareness, compare competing technologies, use renewable or distributed power, and include demos in parks, remote islands, and tribal lands. Projects may also test vehicle types, backup power, hydrogen blends, and fuel made from renewable farm sources, and help build regional hydrogen corridors once codes exist. The Secretary must also give cost-sharing grants to design advanced low-energy vehicles and local energy systems that use renewable hydrogen, off-grid power, and fuel cells, managed with industry and governments. After 2008 for stationary and portable uses, and after 2010 for vehicles, new technical requirements must be identified and used to update the program. The law authorizes these funds: $185,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; $200,000,000 for 2007; $250,000,000 for 2008; $300,000,000 for 2009; $375,000,000 for 2010; and whatever sums are needed for 2011 through 2020.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §16157

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

(a)In carrying out the programs under this section, the Secretary shall fund a limited number of demonstration projects, consistent with this subchapter and a determination of the maturity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impacts of technologies supporting each project. In selecting projects under this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable and in the public interest, select projects that—

(1)involve using hydrogen and related products at existing facilities or installations, such as existing office buildings, military bases, vehicle fleet centers, transit bus authorities, or units of the National Park System;

(2)depend on reliable power from hydrogen to carry out essential activities;

(3)lead to the replication of hydrogen technologies and draw such technologies into the marketplace;

(4)include vehicle, portable, and stationary demonstrations of fuel cell and hydrogen-based energy technologies;

(5)address the interdependency of demand for hydrogen fuel cell applications and hydrogen fuel infrastructure;

(6)raise awareness of hydrogen technology among the public;

(7)facilitate identification of an optimum technology among competing alternatives;

(8)address distributed generation using renewable sources;

(9)carry out demonstrations of evolving hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in national parks, remote island areas, and on Indian tribal land, as selected by the Secretary;

(10)carry out a program to demonstrate developmental hydrogen and fuel cell systems for mobile, portable, and stationary uses, using improved versions of the learning demonstrations program concept of the Department including demonstrations involving—

(A)light-duty vehicles;

(B)heavy-duty vehicles;

(C)fleet vehicles;

(D)specialty industrial and farm vehicles; and

(E)commercial and residential portable, continuous, and backup electric power generation;

(11)in accordance with any code or standards developed in a region, fund prototype, pilot fleet, and infrastructure regional hydrogen supply corridors along the interstate highway system in varied climates across the United States; and

(12)fund demonstration programs that explore the use of hydrogen blends, hybrid hydrogen, and hydrogen reformed from renewable agricultural fuels, including the use of hydrogen in hybrid electric, heavier duty, and advanced internal combustion-powered vehicles.

(b)(1)As a component of the demonstration program under this section, the Secretary shall provide grants, on a cost share basis as appropriate, to eligible entities (as determined by the Secretary) for use in—

(A)devising system design concepts that provide for the use of advanced composite vehicles in programs under section 16122 of this title that—

(i)have as a primary goal the reduction of drive energy requirements;

(ii)after 2010, add another research and development phase, as defined in subsection (c), including the vehicle and infrastructure partnerships developed under the learning demonstrations program concept of the Department; and

(iii)are managed through an enhanced FreedomCAR program within the Department that encourages involvement in cost-shared projects by manufacturers and governments; and

(B)designing a local distributed energy system that—

(i)incorporates renewable hydrogen production, off-grid electricity production, and fleet applications in industrial or commercial service;

(ii)integrates energy or applications described in clause (i), such as stationary, portable, micro, and mobile fuel cells, into a high-density commercial or residential building complex or agricultural community; and

(iii)is managed in cooperation with industry, State, tribal, and local governments, agricultural organizations, and nonprofit generators and distributors of electricity.

(c)In carrying out the demonstrations under subsection (a), the Secretary, in consultation with the Task Force and the Technical Advisory Committee, shall—

(1)after 2008 for stationary and portable applications, and after 2010 for vehicles, identify new requirements that refine technological concepts, planning, and applications; and

(2)during the second phase of the learning demonstrations under subsection (b)(1)(A)(ii), redesign subsequent program work to incorporate those requirements.

(d)There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section—

(1)$185,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;

(2)$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;

(3)$250,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;

(4)$300,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

(5)$375,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and

(6)such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2020.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 16157

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73