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 com-
mittee 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 Transpor-
tation and the Secretary of Homeland Security on the 
feasibility and safety of using hydrogen-derived fuels, 
including ammonia, as a shipping fuel. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hydrogen for Ports 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MARITIME MODERNIZATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means an entity described in subsection (d). 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(3) LOW-INCOME OR DISADVANTAGED COMMU-
NITY.—The term ‘‘low-income or disadvantaged 
community’’ means a community (including a city, a 
town, a county, and any reasonably isolated and di-
visible segment of a larger municipality) with an an-
nual median household income that is less than 100 
percent of the statewide annual median household 
income for the State in which the community is lo-
cated, according to the most recent decennial census. 
(4) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the program established under subsection (b). 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 
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a program under which the Secretary shall provide grants, 
on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for— 
(1) the purchase, installation, construction, fa-
cilitation, maintenance, or operation of, as appro-
priate— 
(A) hydrogen- or ammonia-fueled cargo- 
handling equipment, including, at a minimum, 
equipment used for drayage applications; 
(B) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia-fueled 
trucks for use at ports; 
(C) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia-fueled 
ferries, tugboats, dredging vessels, container 
ships, bulk carriers, fuel tankers, and other ma-
rine vessels; 
(D) hydrogen fuel cell-based shore power 
for ships while docked at the port; 
(E) hydrogen fuel cell or ammonia onsite 
power plants; and 
(F) port infrastructure for hydrogen or 
ammonia import, export, storage, and fueling; 
and 
(2) the training of ship crew and shore per-
sonnel to handle hydrogen or ammonia. 
(c) GOALS.—The goals of the program shall be— 
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(1) to demonstrate fuel cell, hydrogen, or am-
monia technologies in maritime and associated logis-
tics applications; 
(2) to assist in the development and validation 
of technical targets for hydrogen, ammonia, and fuel 
cell systems for maritime and associated logistics ap-
plications; 
(3) to benchmark the conditions required for 
broad commercialization of hydrogen, ammonia, and 
fuel cell technologies in maritime and associated lo-
gistics applications; 
(4) to assess the operational and technical con-
siderations for installing, constructing, and using 
hydrogen- or ammonia-fueled equipment and sup-
porting infrastructure at ports; and 
(5) to reduce emissions and improve air quality 
in areas in and around ports. 
(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity eligible to receive 
a grant under the program is— 
(A) a State; 
(B) a political subdivision of a State; 
(C) a local government; 
(D) a public agency or publicly chartered 
authority established by 1 or more States; 
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(E) a special purpose district with a trans-
portation function; 
(F) an Indian Tribe or a consortium of In-
dian Tribes; 
(G) a multistate or multijurisdictional 
group of entities described in any of subpara-
graphs (A) through (F); or 
(H) subject to paragraph (2), a private en-
tity or group of private entities, including the 
owners or operators of 1 or more facilities at a 
port. 
(2) JOINT
ELIGIBILITY
WITH
PRIVATE
ENTI-
TIES.—A private entity or group of private entities 
is eligible for a grant under the program if— 
(A) the private entity or group of private 
entities partners with an entity described in any 
of subparagraphs (A) through (G) of paragraph 
(1) for purposes of applying for, and carrying 
out activities under, the grant; and 
(B) the entity described in the applicable 
subparagraph of that paragraph is the lead en-
tity with respect to the application and those 
activities. 
(e) APPLICATIONS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a 
grant under the program shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—The application of an eli-
gible entity described in subparagraph (H) of sub-
section (d)(1) shall be submitted jointly with an en-
tity described in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of 
that subsection. 
(f) CONSIDERATIONS.—In providing grants under the 
program, the Secretary, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, shall— 
(1) select projects that will generate the great-
est benefit to low-income or disadvantaged commu-
nities; and 
(2) select projects that will— 
(A) maximize the creation or retention of 
jobs in the United States; and 
(B) provide the highest job quality. 
(g) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 
a grant under the program, the Secretary shall give pri-
ority to projects that will provide greater net impact in 
avoiding or reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. 
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(h) LEAK DETECTION.—Each eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under the program shall conduct— 
(1) a hydrogen leakage monitoring, reporting, 
and verification (also known as ‘‘MRV’’) program; 
and 
(2) a hydrogen leak detection and repair (also 
known as ‘‘LDAR’’) program. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 
through 2028. 
(j) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—None of the 
funds made available under this section may be used to 
provide a grant to purchase fully automated cargo han-
dling equipment that is remotely operated or remotely 
monitored with or without the exercise of human interven-
tion or control, if the Secretary of Transportation deter-
mines such equipment would result in a net loss of jobs 
within a port or port terminal. 
SEC. 3. STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall conduct, and sub-
mit to Congress a report describing the results of, a 
study— 
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(1) to fully address the challenges to ensure the 
safe use and handling of hydrogen, ammonia, and 
other hydrogen-based fuels on vessels and in ports; 
(2) to identify, compare, and evaluate the feasi-
bility of, the safety, environmental, and health im-
pacts of, and best practices with respect to, the use 
of hydrogen-derived fuels, including ammonia, as a 
shipping fuel; 
(3) to identify and evaluate considerations for 
hydrogen and ammonia storage, including— 
(A) at ports; 
(B) on board vessels; and 
(C) for subsea hydrogen storage; and 
(4) to assess the cost and value of a hydrogen 
or ammonia strategic reserve, either as a new facility 
or as a modification to the Strategic Petroleum Re-
serve established under part B of title I of the En-
ergy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6231 
et seq.). 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out subsection (a), 
the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, 
and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall— 
(1) take into account lessons learned from dem-
onstration projects in other industries, including— 
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(A) projects carried out in the United 
States; 
(B) projects carried out in other countries; 
and 
(C) projects relating to the automotive in-
dustry, buses, petroleum refining, chemical pro-
duction, fertilizer production, and stationary 
power; and 
(2) evaluate the applicability of the lessons de-
scribed in paragraph (1) to the use of hydrogen in 
maritime and associated logistics applications. 
Æ 
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