Congress passes hydrogen car funding bill

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Congress has passed an appropriations bill providing funds for hydrogen car development that critics say is unrealistic and a waste of money.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu requested no funds for hydrogen cars in his budget request but Congress added $187 million to an appropriations bill that President Barack Obama is likely to sing, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Chu -- an advocate of alternative energy -- has said hydrogen car technology needs four "miracles" to become widely adopted, and even Catholics saints "only need three," the Post reported.

Former President George W. Bush advocated development of hydrogen car technology in 2003 and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is still a backer of the technology.

"It's the right set of priorities," Dorgan said. "If you discontinue the research, you shortchange the future."

There are 190 projects around the country working on hydrogen fuel technology but only about 200 cars use the technology, the Post said.

"It's an insult to the American taxpayer to pretend that hydrogen cars are a practical and affordable near-term or even medium-term greenhouse gas reduction strategy," said Joseph J. Romm, once a Department of Energy official in charge of clean-technology programs.

Romm is the author of "The Hype about Hydrogen," which questions the prospects for hydrogen car technology.