USFCC Reaction to President Bush's State of the Union Announcement on Fuel Cells/Hydrogen

    WASHINGTON--Jan. 29, 2003--Statement of George Earle, President, U.S. Fuel Cell Council, on President Bush's call for $1.7 billion for fuel cell vehicle research and development of hydrogen technologies for vehicles and power generation:
    "We applaud the President's call for a larger federal investment in fuel cells and hydrogen. We look forward to hearing the details of the program next week and to providing our assistance during the policy making process.
    "It was particularly encouraging that the president noted the importance of hydrogen to the nation's overall energy mix, not only as a fuel for vehicles but for electrical power as well. Fuel cells are a family of technologies, suited for transportation, electric power generation and portable applications. We believe that all family members can contribute to reaching our goals of energy security and cleaner air for the United States.
    "The nation needs a comprehensive fuel cell and hydrogen commercialization strategy. The President's remarks represent a vigorous beginning."
    The U.S. Fuel Cell Council is the trade association for the fuel cell industry. Its 115 members include hydrogen and feedstock fuel suppliers, fuel cell developers, component manufacturers, interested public agencies and others who support the mission of commercializing fuel cells in the United States.
    For a Fact Sheet on the President's proposal see: http://eeredev.nrel.gov\freedomfuel\
    For more information on USFCC, check out our web site at www.usfcc.com.