JUNEAU -- A bill currently moving through the House of Representatives would provide for the establishment of a partnership to promote the development of hydrogen resources within the state. Sponsored by Rep. Harry Crawford, D-Anchorage, House Bill 512 was recently approved by a committee on economic development, international trade and tourism.

"If Alaska is going to remain competitive in the field of energy in the United States and throughout the world, we must prepare for the possibility that hydrogen will become a viable fuel," said Crawford, who noted that Hawaii had already established a similar partnership to utilize their geothermal resources for hydrogen production.

The bill, if passed, will create a special division, called the Hydrogen Energy Partnership, within the Department of Community and Economic Development. This division will focus on establishing a new hydrogen energy industry within the state. The bill dictates a search for both public and private dollars to fund the project. The new bill takes into account both historic and recent studies that prove the value of hydrogen as a potential energy source, as well as the fact that hydrogen could someday prove to be an alternative source of energy for both vehicles and power plants. Hydrogen is particularly desirable due to its use in fuel cells, which provide large amounts of energy with little associated pollution, according to studies by the Department of Energy. However, producing and containing the gas remains a problem even for modern-day technologies. Alaska has resources that may prove useful in both these respects.

Roughly half of the world's supply of usable hydrogen, and most of the United States' supply, is produced using natural gas. Alaska's large natural gas resources therefore make it an ideal launching point for a hydrogen production program, according to the wording of the bill. Hydrogen may also be extracted from such fossil fuels as coal, which Alaska can provide in abundance.

Alaska is also advantageous for hydrogen development due to its multitude of zeolites, composite minerals formed from aluminum, silicon and oxygen, which can be formed into ideal storage and handling utilities for hydrogen location, and its trade position, from which hydrogen and other fuels can be shipped to locations around the Pacific Rim.

Part of the motivation for this new hydrogen bill is the necessity, marked by rising fuel and oil costs, of developing alternative energy methods both within the state and elsewhere in the United States, as well as Alaska's vast quantity of renewable resources that remain untapped. The sponsors of the bill hope that continuing research and testing into the possibility of hydrogen as a new major source of revenue for the state could lead to increased job growth and development of regional economies.

The appointment of the new partnership involves the future appointment of members by the Commissioner of Community and Economic Development. These members would represent the federal and state government, the University of Alaska, political and tribal organizations of the state, the fossil and nonfossil fuel industries, and private environmental conservation groups. These members would meet with hydrogen energy interests, propose policies to promote investment in hydrogen research, offer tax incentives for investing in hydrogen, and report annually to the Legislature on their progress, as dictated by the bill.

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham is enthusiastic about the possibility of using hydrogen as a primary source of fuel, especially for vehicles. "The benefits of having our nation's automobiles run on hydrogen-powered fuel cells are too great to ignore," he said at a recent hydrogen education conference in Lansing, Mich. "Hydrogen can fuel ultra-clean internal combustion engines and almost completely eliminate auto emissions."

The bill was referred to a finance committee on March 3.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.