I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6872 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to support 

hydrogen-fueled equipment at ports and to conduct a study with the 

Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security 

on the feasibility and safety of using hydrogen-derived fuels, including 

ammonia, as a shipping fuel. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 19, 2023 

Ms. PORTER (for herself and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 

addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant 

program to support hydrogen-fueled equipment at ports 

and to conduct a study with the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security on the 

feasibility and safety of using hydrogen-derived fuels, 

including ammonia, as a shipping fuel. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hydrogen for Ports 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. MARITIME MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti7 ty’’ means an entity described in subsection (d). 

8 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

9 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

10 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

11 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

12 (3) LOW-INCOME OR DISADVANTAGED COMMU13 NITY.—The term ‘‘low-income or disadvantaged 

14 community’’ means a community (including a city, a 

15 town, a county, and any reasonably isolated and di16 visible segment of a larger municipality) with an an17 nual median household income that is less than 100 

18 percent of the statewide annual median household 

19 income for the State in which the community is lo20 cated, according to the most recent decennial census. 

21 (4) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

22 the program established under subsection (b). 

23 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

24 the Secretary of Energy. 

25 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

26 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 

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1 a program under which the Secretary shall provide grants, 

2 on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for— 

3 (1) the purchase, installation, construction, fa4 cilitation, maintenance, or operation of, as appro5 priate— 

6 (A) hydrogen- or ammonia-fueled cargo7 handling equipment, including, at a minimum, 

8 equipment used for drayage applications; 

9 (B) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia-fueled 

10 trucks for use at ports; 

11 (C) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia-fueled 

12 ferries, tugboats, dredging vessels, container 

13 ships, bulk carriers, fuel tankers, and other ma14 rine vessels; 

15 (D) hydrogen fuel cell-based shore power 

16 for ships while docked at the port; 

17 (E) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia onsite 

18 power plants; and 

19 (F) port infrastructure for hydrogen or 

20 ammonia import, export, storage, and fueling; 

21 and 

22 (2) the training of ship crew and shore per23 sonnel to handle hydrogen or ammonia. 

24 (c) GOALS.—The goals of the program shall be— 

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1 (1) to demonstrate fuel cell, hydrogen, or am2 monia technologies in maritime and associated logis3 tics applications; 

4 (2) to assist in the development and validation 

5 of technical targets for hydrogen, ammonia, and fuel 

6 cell systems for maritime and associated logistics ap7 plications; 

8 (3) to benchmark the conditions required for 

9 broad commercialization of hydrogen, ammonia, and 

10 fuel cell technologies in maritime and associated lo11 gistics applications; 

12 (4) to assess the operational and technical con13 siderations for installing, constructing, and using 

14 hydrogen- or ammonia-fueled equipment and sup15 porting infrastructure at ports; and 

16 (5) to reduce emissions and improve air quality 

17 in areas in and around ports. 

18 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—An entity eligible to receive 

20 a grant under the program is— 

21 (A) a State; 

22 (B) a political subdivision of a State; 

23 (C) a local government; 

24 (D) a public agency or publicly chartered 

25 authority established by 1 or more States; 

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1 (E) a special purpose district with a trans2 portation function; 

3 (F) an Indian Tribe or a consortium of In4 dian Tribes; 

5 (G) a multistate or multijurisdictional 

6 group of entities described in any of subpara7 graphs (A) through (F); or 

8 (H) subject to paragraph (2), a private en9 tity or group of private entities, including the 

10 owners or operators of 1 or more facilities at a 

11 port. 

12 (2) JOINT ELIGIBILITY WITH PRIVATE ENTI13 TIES.—A private entity or group of private entities 

14 is eligible for a grant under the program if— 

15 (A) the private entity or group of private 

16 entities partners with an entity described in any 

17 of subparagraphs (A) through (G) of paragraph 

18 (1) for purposes of applying for, and carrying 

19 out activities under, the grant; and 

20 (B) the entity described in the applicable 

21 subparagraph of that paragraph is the lead en22 tity with respect to the application and those 

23 activities. 

24 (e) APPLICATIONS.— 

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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a 

2 grant under the program shall submit to the Sec3 retary an application at such time, in such manner, 

4 and containing such information as the Secretary 

5 may require. 

6 (2) REQUIREMENT.—The application of an eli7 gible entity described in subparagraph (H) of sub8 section (d)(1) shall be submitted jointly with an en9 tity described in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of 

10 that subsection. 

11 (f) CONSIDERATIONS.—In providing grants under the 

12 program, the Secretary, to the maximum extent prac13 ticable, shall— 

14 (1) select projects that will generate the great15 est benefit to low-income or disadvantaged commu16 nities; and 

17 (2) select projects that will— 

18 (A) maximize the creation or retention of 

19 jobs in the United States; and 

20 (B) provide the highest job quality. 

21 (g) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 

22 a grant under the program, the Secretary shall give pri23 ority to projects that will provide greater net impact in 

24 avoiding or reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. 

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1 (h) LEAK DETECTION.—Each eligible entity that re2 ceives a grant under the program shall conduct— 

3 (1) a hydrogen leakage monitoring, reporting, 

4 and verification (also known as ‘‘MRV’’) program; 

5 and 

6 (2) a hydrogen leak detection and repair (also 

7 known as ‘‘LDAR’’) program. 

8 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

10 out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

11 through 2028. 

12 (j) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—None of the 

13 funds made available under this section may be used to 

14 provide a grant to purchase fully automated cargo han15 dling equipment that is remotely operated or remotely 

16 monitored with or without the exercise of human interven17 tion or control, if the Secretary of Transportation deter18 mines such equipment would result in a net loss of jobs 

19 within a port or port terminal. 

20 SEC. 3. STUDY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy, in con22 sultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the 

23 Secretary of Homeland Security, shall conduct, and sub24 mit to Congress a report describing the results of, a 

25 study— 

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1 (1) to fully address the challenges to ensure the 

2 safe use and handling of hydrogen, ammonia, and 

3 other hydrogen-based fuels on vessels and in ports; 

4 (2) to identify, compare, and evaluate the feasi5 bility of, the safety, environmental, and health im6 pacts of, and best practices with respect to, the use 

7 of hydrogen-derived fuels, including ammonia, as a 

8 shipping fuel; 

9 (3) to identify and evaluate considerations for 

10 hydrogen and ammonia storage, including— 

11 (A) at ports; 

12 (B) on board vessels; and 

13 (C) for subsea hydrogen storage; and 

14 (4) to assess the cost and value of a hydrogen 

15 or ammonia strategic reserve, either as a new facility 

16 or as a modification to the Strategic Petroleum Re17 serve established under part B of title I of the En18 ergy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6231 

19 et seq.). 

20 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out subsection (a), 

21 the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, 

22 and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall— 

23 (1) take into account lessons learned from dem24 onstration projects in other industries, including— 

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1 (A) projects carried out in the United 

2 States; 

3 (B) projects carried out in other countries; 

4 and 

5 (C) projects relating to the automotive in6 dustry, buses, petroleum refining, chemical pro7 duction, fertilizer production, and stationary 

8 power; and 

9 (2) evaluate the applicability of the lessons de10 scribed in paragraph (1) to the use of hydrogen in 

11 maritime and associated logistics applications. 

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