Hydrogen production in the United States.

In contrast with the large diffusion investments in ethanol and synthetic fuels, support for hydrogen production and handling (that is, materials science) has been small-scale and limited to R&D. However, hydrogen has found a performance niche in certain industrial processes. Annual production in the United States from 1971 to 2003 increased more than 10-fold and production costs were reduced by a factor of 5, without any subsidies and despite the material challenges associated with handling hydrogen. A hydrogen pipeline is being operated between Louisiana and Texas; and some are considering the old idea of mixing hydrogen into the national natural gas pipeline system.