By Hailey Higgins, Local News 8 Reporter

IDAHO FALLS - The Idaho National Laboratory is researching amazing technology that can change the way we live our lives.

They are one step closer to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gases.

Dr. Steve Herring and his team spent the last five years, $15 million on what is inside an 800 degree kiln. Inside they are splitting steam into hydrogen and oxygen using a nuclear reactor. They call it High Temperature Electrolysis.

"This is much more efficient than the electrolysis you had in chemistry class where you had two electrodes into a beaker of water," said Herring, technical director of High Temperature Electrolysis.

They plan on using hydrogen to make gasoline or other synthetic fuels on United States soil.

What does this mean exactly?

They said we will be less dependent of foreign oil in the future because we will be able to use our coal and oil sands to produce oil and gasoline we currently import.

The trick is getting it to last weeks and then months.

"It is a relief to have that particular test done. To have something that would operate for 100 days," said Herring.

"What we now have to do is improve this technology such that these cells last on the order of years," said Principal Investigator Dr. Carl Stoots.

In June, an independent committee decided High Temperature Electrolysis is the best hydrogen production method to be used by the next generation nuclear plant.

That nuclear plant is also in development at the INL.