Review - HR 9851 Introduced – Heavy Industry Hydrogen

Last month, Rep Sorensen (D,IL) introduced HR 9551, the Hydrogen for Industry Act of 2024. The bill would require DOE to establish the ‘Hydrogen Technologies for Heavy Industry Demonstration Program’ to provide grants or cooperative agreements to demonstrate industrial end-use applications of hydrogen. The bill would authorize $1.2 billion for the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.

The bill would amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by adding a new §969E, Hydrogen Technologies for Heavy Industry Demonstration Program.

HR 9851 is virtually identical to S 646 that was introduced in March of 2023. There has been no action in the Senate on that bill to date. The sole difference between the two bills is the funding authorization dates; 2025-2029 in the House bill and 2024-2028 in the Senate bill.

Moving Forward

Sorensen is a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to which the bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. Unfortunately, the new large-spending authorization on an unconventional energy source is probably a non-starter with most Republican members of the Committee. Some lower level of funding may provide an acceptable compromise, but it is unlikely that any work will proceed on this legislation in the short time remaining in the session. A Democratically controlled House in the 119^th Congress (a possibility) would make such a compromise less necessary.

 

For more information on the provisions of the bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-9851-introduced - subscription required.