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National Center for Hydrogen Technology

In 2004, I included a provision in an appropriations bill to designate the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) as the National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT). In the same bill, I secured $3 million for initial cornerstone funding for the NCHT, and an additional $2.5 million the following year.

Just two years later, I had the pleasure of breaking ground for the construction of a new, state–of–the–art facility that will be the home of the NCHT. The most cutting edge hydrogen technology research and development will be done right here in North Dakota.

The work being done at the NCHT could very well lead to our grandchildren driving hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, living in hydrogen powered homes, and ending our addiction to oil from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and other unstable regions of the world.

This research will also have a great impact on economic development in the Grand Forks area.

The NCHT will bring new, high-paying jobs to Grand Forks, and open the door for our best young engineers and scientists in North Dakota to play a vital role in the effort to build a hydrogen economy.

In fact, I expect it to lead to more than 100 new, high-paying new jobs in North Dakota over the next few years alone.

It is incredible to think that when our country is looking for leadership in this revolutionary endeavor, they are looking to North Dakota.