By Stephen Smoot
One of the great underlying themes of progress in the last century, particularly after World War II, was that “California leads the way.”
And indeed it did.
Until the turn of the century, the ferment of ideas in California came from all sides and all parties. The state served as a genuine melting pot of policy ideas and produced intelligent ways to move forward on a variety of fronts.
That said, those who are last shall be first and over the past decade, the Mountain State has pushed its way to the forefront of positive changes, including crafting the most open school choice legislation in the nation.
Now the state has positioned itself to lead in energy policy as well.
In response to the upcoming draconian and insensible Biden Administration regulations on heavy trucks, stakeholders on both sides of the state look to hydrogen as the fuel of the future in the Mountain State.
Electric vehicles, highly touted and promoted by the Biden Administration will not work in West Virginia, or much of the rest of the United States. Grant County based Potomac Valley Transit Authority executive director Doug Pixler explained that electric vehicles are completely unsuitable for the climate and terrain of West Virginia.
He also explained to a recent Region 8 meeting that “this is not necessarily something that we want to do,” but the federal government forced their hand.
Bruce Minor, who sits on the board of PVTA and also volunteers as a first responder, agreed, saying in a recent town council meeting that “hydrogen is the future.”
Hydrogen allows many pathways to the same destination. One creates hydrogen fuel first by running an electric current through water in such a way as to strip the hydrogen atoms from the water molecule. From here it functions the same as gasoline. It gets stored in large tanks and can be pumped into a car in the same efficient way as gasoline.
The difference comes in the fact that a hydrogen engine fuses hydrogen back with oxygen for power with a byproduct of pure water. As an added benefit, the engine requires pure air to function. The filters that perform this task actually clean the air in the space around the car as they capture any pollutants.
Even better, as Pixler points out, the components for hydrogen vehicles all currently come from the United States, creating good American jobs. EV components come from Red China, known to use prisoners and slaves in its manufacturing sector.
PVTA has applied for a federal grant to design a “green” hydrogen facility. Its plan features a bank of solar panels constructed near Petersburg that will power the electrolysis process. They plan to make the fuel available to school systems and other local government authorities, including emergency response.
In the central and western sections of the state, researchers seek the most efficient ways to use coal and natural gas to produce the fuel. This can help to ensure that these sectors remain vital and resilient against the threat of federal overreach. It may be possible to install hydrogen production in or very near power plants that use coal or gas.
Working on building a hydrogen fuel production capacity falls right in line with the “all of the above” approach touted by the state’s leadership and congressional delegation. Anything that works, can turn a profit, and provides good paying jobs to West Virginians remains on the table.
And it’s nice to know that in this and many other areas in 2023, “West Virginia leads the way.”