Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on a very important topic for the future of automobiles and American energy supplies. Hydrogen fuel cells will someday provide Americans with cars and trucks that produce few emissions and consume less fuel. As we will hear from our witnesses today, there is still much work to be done.

It is, however, an exciting time for the development of this technology. Earlier this month, the Chairman and CEO of General Motors brought a variety of impressive hydrogen powered vehicles to Washington. And just yesterday I was in Ann Arbor for the announcement of a new program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United Parcel Service (UPS), and Chrysler. The automaker will provide hydrogen powered delivery vehicles to UPS, and the EPA and Chrysler will monitor the real world issues that these vehicles will face, such as varying weather conditions and stop-and-go traffic. We must continue to encourage public-private partnerships that will lead to the widespread commercialization of this technology, making it available to all Americans.

While we continue to develop fuel cell technologies for the long-term, we must not forget the advanced vehicles we can produce in the near-term. With a little help, clean diesel vehicles and hybrid-electric vehicles can be widely available to consumers sooner than you may think. In particular, I want to help diesel technology along by improving the quality of diesel fuel and providing consumer incentives that will increase understanding and acceptance of this new technology. By significantly improving the fuel economy of the least efficient vehicles, clean diesel holds great promise for reducing our dependence on foreign oil in the near-term.

As we further the development of all advanced vehicles, we must make sure that American researchers, American manufacturers, and American workers are well equipped to produce these vehicles for the entire world. We must bring our universities into this collaborative process early and often. I note the attendance today of

Dr. Schwank from the University of Michigan and Dr. Samuelsen from the University of California. They will have valuable insights into how we can use the resources of our academic institutions to develop this technology and produce the next generation of hydrogen scientists.

In addition to public-private partnerships, we must encourage our manufacturers to produce these advanced technologies here in the United States. We will not benefit if we shift from a dependence on foreign oil to a dependence on foreign technology and manufacturing. Grant programs and tax incentives should be provided to convert existing manufacturing facilities into advanced technology facilities. Encouraging the domestic development and production of hydrogen fuel cells and other advanced technologies will bring us one step closer to true energy independence.