Taft Keynotes Fifth Annual Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition Symposium
COLUMBUS, OHIO (May 25, 2004) - Governor Bob Taft today spoke at the fifth annual Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition (OFCC) Symposium, and commended the Coalition for working hard to position Ohio as a national leader in developing fuel cells.
"Fuel cells present a significant economic opportunity for Ohio, and through its hard work, the OFCC is creating the jobs of tomorrow," said Taft. "By tapping the business prowess of its members, the Coalition is making a difference in this very complex, challenging and competitive field."
The OFCC is a consortium of industry, academic, and government leaders from throughout Ohio who are dedicated to developing and implementing a forward-looking plan to advance the fuel cell industry in the state. Its members work to ensure Ohio's presence both regionally and nationally through world-class research and development, an entrepreneurial environment that encourages innovation and supports commercialization, strategic advocacy to increase federal and state resources to create a globally-competitive industry in Ohio, and promoting the benefits and value of fuel cell technology. The OFCC was founded in June 2003 and is financially supported in part through an ODOD grant.
During his keynote address, Taft highlighted several state-funded research projects that are part of Ohio's growing fuel cell industry and spoke about the importance of developing alternative sources of energy. Since the Governor announced the Ohio Fuel Cell Initiative as part of the Third Frontier Project in May 2002, the State has made over $30 million in grants for fuel cell technology development and manufacturing.
The Ohio Fuel Cell Initiative is a $103-million program that aims to position Ohio as a national leader in the growing fuel cell industry and help spur economic growth and job creation in Ohio. To date, more than $10 million in Fuel Cell initiative funds and $20 million in Wright Capital funds has been awarded to fuel cell projects across the state.
The Ohio Fuel Cell Initiative is an integral part of Governor Taft's Third Frontier Project, a $1.1 billion job creation program to expand Ohio's high-tech research capabilities and promote start-up companies to create jobs and bring products to market.
Other speakers at the symposium included U.S. Department of Energy Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Mark Maddox and speakers from Ford, Delphi and Frost & Sullivan. For more information on the symposium and the Fuel Cell Initiative, please visit http://www.fuelcellsohio.org.
