The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S7738 on July 17, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to ask the ranking member on the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, Senator Reid of Nevada, a question regarding the funding for hydrogen research in the appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998.
Mr. REID. I would be pleased to answer a question from my colleague.
Mrs. BOXER. Thank you. As you well know, funding for the Department of Energy's Hydrogen Research Program is critical to the advancement of hydrogen technologies. The President's budget for fiscal year 1998 requested $15 million. The committee, through the efforts of the ranking member, increased the budget request by $4 million to $19 million. As we know, the Hydrogen Future Act that passed by the Congress last year authorized $25 million for fiscal year 1998.
As the ranking member of this appropriations subcommittee I sincerely appreciate his efforts to increase funding for hydrogen research in the energy and water development bill. As we know, the Department needs the funding that they have requested to pursue the furthering of hydrogen by working with the private-sector and our national laboratories to demonstrate the effectiveness as well as the safety of hydrogen. I know that my ranking member is as interested as I am in the demonstration and validation of hydrogen power technology. I support his request for a demonstration and evaluation at the Nevada test site as part of the Department of Energy's Hydrogen Research Program budget.
I would like to ask the distinguished ranking member if he would elaborate on the intentions of the committee report language as it relates to the Department allocating funds for a comprehensive validation program at the Nevada test site. If I understand this correctly, the distinguished Senator from Nevada is suggesting that the Department should begin phase 1 of a program in fiscal year 1998 that will establish at the Nevada test site a single location to administer testing and evaluation of industry-led hydrogen energy systems.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, that is correct. First, I am deeply concerned that increased consumption of refined petroleum products for transportation will continue to climb and the quality of the air we breath will continue to deteriorate. Additionally, our reliance on foreign oil can only aggravate our trade imbalance as well as jeopardize our national security.
Therefore, I felt it to be vitally important that we begin to move forward and establish, at least, one location to allow the Department of Energy the ability to begin the precommercialization of hydrogen technologies. And the Department should provide to the committee a plan for the furthering of this center at the Nevada test site in future years. Hopefully, their fiscal year 1999 request will mirror the authorization of $30 million contained in the Hydrogen Future Act in order to fully implement the center. Full funding at the authorized levels are the only way that we can begin to bring this technology to the marketplace. Furthermore, it is my hope that the administration will view our increased funding of the hydrogen research program as a clear indication that there is support for this technology in the U.S. Senate.
Mrs. BOXER. I thank you for clarifying this most important issue and will continue to look to your leadership in this area.
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