Washington, D.C. -  The House of Representatives today passed a bill that will help strengthen America’s long-term energy security by encouraging the development of new technologies that would make hydrogen a viable alternative to oil in fueling our vehicles, Rep. Tim Johnson, R-IL announced.

The legislation, the H-Prize Act of 2006, would offer prizes to spur new innovations in hydrogen technology.

“If hydrogen is to be the promise of the future, incentives such as the H-Prize will expedite that promise,” said Rep. Johnson.  “It is clean, abundant, and most importantly, it can be produced here at home, taking the security of our economy out of the hands of Middle Eastern dictators and oil cartels.  What’s more, the only emission from a hydrogen car is pure water, so smog and pollution could become problems of the past.

Before hydrogen cars can become practical alternatives, significant technical hurdles must be overcome.  The H-Prize will help make that happen by establishing a national competition that will summon our nation’s best and brightest to the task of making the hydrogen economy a reality, said Rep. Johnson, a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The H-Prize is modeled after the successful Ansari X Prize, which spurred the first privately funded suborbital human spaceflight last year.  Under the bill, prizes would be awarded to researchers, universities, companies, or private citizens who develop technical breakthroughs related to key aspects of the hydrogen fuel cycle:

·        Technological Advancements – Four prizes of up to $1 million awarded biennially in the categories of hydrogen Production, Storage, Distribution and Utilization;

·        Prototypes – One prize of up to $4 million awarded biennially that forces working hydrogen vehicle prototypes to meet ambitious performance goals; and

·        Transformational Technologies – One grand prize consisting of a $10 million cash award, funded in whole or in part by federal contribution.  Additional matching funds could be awarded for development of wells-to-wheels breakthrough technologies.

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