House panel approves aid for new car technology
WASHINGTON — A House committee approved a bill today that would boost federal spending on research into new vehicle technologies, including hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells, by $216 million.
The bill sponsored by Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, passed the House Science and Technology Committee on a voice vote, and now goes to the full House for consideration.
Peters’ bill calls for $550 million to be spent by the U.S. Department of Energy on vehicle research in the 2010 fiscal year, up from the $334 million requested by the Obama administration. The bill also calls for some of its money to be spent on hydrogen fuel cell research, an area the Obama administration had said it wanted to cut, but that Congress appears ready to restore.
The bill increases the research money by $10 million a year through 2014, and also provides money for research into technologies for medium and heavy-duty trucks.
