UC Davis transportation expert Daniel Sperling will speak on Capitol Hill twice in the next two weeks on the status of hydrogen and other gasoline alternatives in the U.S. transportation system.

Sperling is a professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy, and founding director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis). He is a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and transportation policy.

On Wednesday, July 20, Sperling will be the featured speaker in a briefing hosted by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and sponsored by the Senate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus. The title of Sperling's talk is "Energy 2050: The Future of Alternative Transportation Fuels."

The briefing will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room SD-138.

Organized by Resources for the Future, GLOBE USA, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, the "Energy 2050" briefing series explores policy options and strategies to address America's energy needs to the year 2050. More information about the series: http://www.rff.org/rff/Events/Energy2050/Index.cfm.

On Wednesday, July 27, Sperling will testify at an oversight hearing of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy and Resources, chaired by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). The speakers will discuss progress made in the United States toward a hydrogen economy.

Sperling will describe studies by the Hydrogen Pathways program of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies on the role of federal policy and research in the transition to a hydrogen-based transportation system. The Hydrogen Pathways program is funded by 21 companies and government agencies, including most of the major oil and car companies in the world.

The hearing will be held at 1 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2203.