NATIONAL FUEL CELL BUS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

SEC. 3045. NATIONAL FUEL CELL BUS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.(a) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish a national fuel cell bus technology development program (in this section referred to as the “program”) to facilitate the development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technology and related infrastructure.(b) General Authority.—The Secretary may enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with no more than 3 geographically diverse nonprofit organizations and recipients under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, to conduct fuel cell bus technology and infrastructure projects under the program.(c) Grant Criteria.—In selecting applicants for grants under the program, the Secretary shall consider the applicant’s—(1) ability to contribute significantly to furthering fuel cell technology as it relates to transit bus operations, including 119 STAT. 1706 hydrogen production, energy storage, fuel cell technologies, vehicle systems integration, and power electronics technologies;(2) financing plan and cost share potential;(3) fuel cell technology to ensure that the program advances different fuel cell technologies, including hydrogen-fueled and methanol-powered liquid-fueled fuel cell technologies, that may be viable for public transportation systems; and(4) other criteria that the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the program.(d) Competitive Grant Selection.—The Secretary shall conduct a national solicitation for applications for grants under the program. Grant recipients shall be selected on a competitive basis. The Secretary shall give priority consideration to applicants that have successfully managed advanced transportation technology projects, including projects related to hydrogen and fuel cell public transportation operations for a period of not less than 5 years.(e) Federal Share.—The Federal share of costs of the program shall be provided from funds made available to carry out this section. The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under the program shall not exceed 50 percent of such cost.(f) Grant Requirements.—A grant under this section shall be subject to—(1) all terms and conditions applicable to a grant made under section 5309 of title 49, United States Code; and(2) such other terms and conditions as are determined by the Secretary.