Promoting the use of hydrogen as an energy resource; requiring the department of administration to identify opportunities for demonstrating the use of hydrogen fuel cells within state owned facilities, vehicle fleets and operations and specifying certain purchase and demonstration requirements in furtherance of certain objectives; requiring and providing for periodic department of commerce reports to the legislature on proposed pilot projects contributing to the realization of the state hydrogen economy goal, requiring the department to consider certain priorities in developing the proposed slate of pilot projects and the projects to meet certain criteria; authorizing the commissioner of commerce to accept and expend federal funds and participate in projects to design, site and construct multifuel hydrogen fueling stations linking urban centers along key trade corridors across certain jurisdictions, specifying certain requirements of the stations; providing payment incentives to qualified hydrogen generation facilities beginning operation after a certain date and producing hydrogen before a certain date; specifying the payment period and amount; prescribing the eligibility process; establishing an energy infrastructure transition account in the special revenue fund for deposit of repayments of financial assistance; authorizing the department of commerce to establish, adopt rules for and implement a loan program for the construction of vehicle refueling facilities deploying a combination of renewable and carbon neutral technologies providing transportation fuel, electricity, heating or cooling; requiring public research and higher education institutions to work together and with similar institutions in the region to establish an upper midwest energy research and education partnership, requiring the partnership to include an advisory committee to help focus research and education efforts on the most critical issues; exempting hydrogen used for certain purposes from the sales tax; appropriating money to the commissioner of commerce to match federal and private investments in multifuel hydrogen refueling stations in Moorhead, Alexandria and the twin cities, match requirement
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