Ray Kenard

A New American Energy Policy

I am responding to your article questioning why the US economy is in disarray. You noted that the answer is lack of management and policy. My question is why do we lack management and policy? I suggest it is “groupthink”, dumbing down of the content in the press and TV, and therefore the inability to intelligently discus critical issues.

Outstanding things are being done to address tail pipe emission of carbon dioxide in Europe and California. But I have never seen a news article in the NY Times or on TV about such initiatives, even though the public seems to recognize the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption. Let me mention a few initiatives which the public should know about

The National Hydrogen Association has made an extensive study that shows that the only solution to the increasing use of petroleum fuels and the emissions of greenhouse gases is a transportation system based on either electricity or hydrogen. The National Science Foundation has recently reached the same conclusion. The US Department of Transportation believes that the zero-emission transit bus is one of the few near-term opportunities to achieve a major reduction in petroleum fuel use and greenhouse emissions.

California’s ZBUS Initiatives
While some East Coast states are talking about hybrid transit and individual-use vehicles, California and Europe are already focused on the next generation of vehicles – zero-emission vehicles. It is anticipated that California will have 220 zero-emission transit buses by 2012-2014. It already has about 30 hydrogen fueling stations and large-scale facilities are being planned. AC Transit (Oakland) has operated a fleet of three hydrogen fuel cell buses for several years and has ordered nine more. They have reduced the cost of fuel for these three buses by 70% and completely eliminated greenhouse gas emission and other pollutants.

Europe’s Zero-Emission Bus Program
Nine cities in Europe have introduced 30 hydrogen-fueled Daimler fuel cell buses since 2003/2004. As of December 2007, over 7 million passengers have ridden in these buses, and 220 tons of hydrogen has replaced 750,000 litres of diesel fuel. Currently Berlin has 14 hydrogen fueled transit buses, London 10 buses, five cities in the European Hydrogen Alliance have agreed to buy five buses each, Shanghai has 3 buses, and Beijing has 3 buses. Vancouver is acquiring a fleet of 20 such transit vehicles and five fueling station to service its fleet. These 74 buses plus the original 30 buses represents a combined investment of about $400 million tp $500 million plus a comparable amount for the infrastructure to support and fuel the buses.

Recently, the European Union identified a five year $2 billion commitment for sustainable energy projects. Fuel cells and hydrogen systems are the primary focus of this investment.

My company is in the business of creating and developing hydrogen projects in New York State. We were one of two of the first projects to receive State funding. We have just completed a project at the Albany Airport that consists of a hydrogen fueling station and two Prius vehicles and two Silverado pickup trucks that have been converted to fuel hydrogen. We have three colleges interested in hydrogen fuel cell bus projects but don’t have the money for the projects. The State recently outlined a draft Energy Master Plan that did not include any mention of hydrogen. We have made a proposal to the Federal Transit Administration for one project and will make additional proposals if the Obama administration provides funding for such efforts.

Earlier this year we did a study at the request of the staff of a New York City agency for converting waste gases, that were being flared, to energy. An economic appraisal indicated an attractive project. We were then informed that it would be a project scheduled for 2010.

In one of the old POGO comic strips, he said “We have met the enemy and they are us”. We need leadership to lay out the options and to make things happen. I hope Obama will provide that leadership.