Lawmakers hail Hickam hydrogen fueling station

Staff report

Members of a Congressional delegation visiting a state-of-the-art hydrogen fueling station Dec. 29 at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, lauded the project as a step toward freeing the U.S. from dependence on foreign oil.

“This is going to be an enormous geopolitical problem,” Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., said in a press release. “I’m very pleased with what the military is doing, particularly pleased with what the Air Force is doing, in leading this.”

The delegation included 15 members of Congress.

The hydrogen facility, which opened in November, generates hydrogen from water for fueling buses, tow-tractors, vans, sedans and ground-support equipment.

The Air Force hopes it will some day provide a significant source of renewable energy that can help the service overcome its dependency on petroleum products.

The facility is a joint green-energy initiative between the Hawaiian Center for Advanced Transportation Technology and the Air Force’s Advanced Power Technology office.