<Tab/>Bush's decision to use that speech to ask for $1.2 billion in federal funds to support fuel-cell and hydrogen research was a boost for the emerging technology, which converts hydrogen into electric current while releasing steam as a byproduct.
A few days later, Bush said he wants to see that the first car driven by "a child born today" is powered by hydrogen and pollution free.
By investing federal dollars into the development of fuel cells, the president is seeking to neutralize environmentalists who favor progressively tighter federal fuel-efficiency standards and pol…
