THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY MILNE, FLECK, GROVE, GRUCELA, KILLION, REICHLEY, ROSS, SIPTROTH AND STEVENSON, OCTOBER 5, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, OCTOBER 5, 2010  

AN ACT

Establishing a hydrogen fuel cell collaboration program;

providing for powers and duties of the Department of

Environmental Protection and for grants; requiring a report

by the department; and making an appropriation.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Hydrogen Fuel

Cell Collaboration Act.

Section 2.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Department."  The Department of Environmental Protection of

the Commonwealth.

"Hydrogen fuel cell."  Any electrochemical device that

converts chemical energy in a hydrogen-rich fuel directly into

electricity, heat and water without combustion.

"Institution of higher education."  Any public or private

institution within this Commonwealth authorized by the

Department of Education to grant an associate of arts degree or

higher academic degree.

"Nonprofit corporation."  Any business entity organized under

15 Pa.C.S. Pt. II Subpt. C (relating to nonprofit corporations)

located in this Commonwealth.

"Qualified business."  Any business, located within this

Commonwealth, engaged in the research, development or production

of hydrogen fuel cells.

Section 3.  Hydrogen fuel cell collaboration program.

(a)  Establishment.--There is hereby established within the

department a hydrogen fuel cell collaboration program for the

purpose of research into the technical and cost barriers

associated with the commercialization and adaptation of hydrogen

fuel cell technology. The collaboration shall be composed of a

partnership among one or more qualified businesses and one or

more nonprofit corporations or institutions of higher education.

(b)  Appropriation.--The sum of $5,000,000 is hereby

appropriated from the General Fund to the department to award

grants under this act.

(c)  Grant limits.--Grant funding under this act may not

exceed $500,000 per partnership and are to be matched on a ratio

of one to one by the grant recipients.

(d)  Application.--On or before January 1, 2012, a

partnership may submit to the department an application for

funding under this act. The application shall be on a form

provided by the department and shall include all of the

following:

(1)  A list of partners in the collaboration.

(2)  The name and address of each partner.

(3)  The name and address of the coordinator or executive

director of the partnership.

(4)  Such other information as the department may

require.

(e)  Review and award.--The department shall review the

application. Upon being satisfied that the application is

complete and accurate, the department shall approve the

application, and the secretary shall award the grant money to

the partnership.

Section 4.  Report and recommendations.

The committee shall make a report of this program listing the

collaborations that were funded under this act, a brief

description of the nature of their research and the amount of

funding each collaboration received, as well as recommendations

for improving upon the program within one year of awarding the

first grants under this act and each subsequent year thereafter,

to the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Minority Leader

of the Senate, the chairman and minority chairman of the

Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate, the

Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of

the House of Representatives and the chairman and minority

chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of

the House of Representatives.

Section 5.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect immediately.