On USC visit, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham presented U.S. Fuel Cell Council Pathfinder Award

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was presented the U.S. Fuel Cell Council's Pathfinder Award Oct. 12 at the University of South Carolina.

USC President Andrew Sorensen and Robert Rose, founding executive director of the council and the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, presented Graham with the award, which recognizes individuals whose efforts have an important impact on the fuel cell industry.

"Senator Graham is one of the nation's leading advocates for hydrogen and fuel cell research," Sorensen said. "This award, made on USC's campus, underscores the important role that South Carolina and our university will have in the development of new fuel sources."

Graham was a leading supporter of the energy bill passed by Congress in July and signed into law by President Bush in August. The hydrogen provision in the bill was largely based upon the language of Graham and N.D. Sen. Byron Dorgan. The bill establishes a comprehensive national energy policy that encourages domestic energy production and conservation and seeks to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil.

Last year, Graham was instrumental in helping USC secure a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct hydrogen research. USC is home to the National Science Foundation's only Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells.

Graham said he wanted to ensure that South Carolina, with its numerous hydrogen fuel initiatives, have an even bigger role in the hydrogen fuel economy.

"The hydrogen economy is coming, and I want it to come to South Carolina in abundance," he said. "I want South Carolina to be the Detroit of hydrogen fuel.

The U.S. Fuel Cell Council, founded in 1998, is the trade association for the fuel cell industry. To learn more about the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, go to www.usfcc.com.