2016 Senate Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Policy Forum
Justin Lewis
Overflow Audience Attends FCHEA 4th Annual Congressional Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Policy Briefing in Senate
Senate Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Caucus Co-Chairs Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) Among Featured Speakers
More than 100 Congressional Staffers and Others Attend
On Thursday, June 23, 2016 more than 100 House and Senate staff members, as well as other policy officials, attended the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association's (FCHEA's) 4th annual Congressional Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Policy Briefing on Capitol Hill, a strong reflection of increased awareness of, and interest in, fuel cell and hydrogen technologies.
Senators Bluemthal (D-CT) and Graham (R-SC) opened the briefing by explaining their support for the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry, the need for sustained funding for research and development, and calling for renewal and extension of needed tax incentives to provide parity in the market.
Other speakers included:
- Dr. Sunita Satyapal, Director of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Department of Energy;
- Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug Power;
- Jana Barresi, Director of Federal Relations at Walmart;
- Frank Wolak, Vice President of FuelCell Energy and Chairman of FCHEA; and,
- Jonathan Powers, Managing Director of Public Sector Business Development for Bloom Energy.
The speakers detailed the commercial success of stationary fuel cells and fuel cell-powered material handling equipment, recent commercialization of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure, and explained why continued support of these technologies remains crucial to the nation's energy future.
Attendance at the event was far greater than expected, with a significant overflow crowd listening at the doorway. The strong interest in fuel cells indicates that the industry enjoys greater recognition of importance on Capitol Hill thanks to the hard work of FCHEA's members and staff, as well as the work of our industry allies in Congress and throughout Washington.