An Evening with Joe Romm, Author of “The Hype About Hydrogen”
by Erika McDonald

Last month, the Citizens’ League for Environmental Action Now hosted an evening with Joseph Romm to promote his latest book, The Hype About Hydrogen at the home of CLEAN president Jane Dale Owen. Romm, former acting secretary of energy for the Clinton administration, addressed an audience of roughly 50 which included Houston mayor Bill White and local environmental community notables Ann Hamilton of the Houston Endowment and longtime activist Terry Hershey. The event also drew environmentalists from around the state including Public Citizen’s Tom “Smitty” Smith and Karen Hadden of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition.

The event was organized by CLEAN to bring attention to Houston’s role in the “race to save the climate” from hastening global warming trends. An advocate of renewable energy, Romm argues that hydrogen technology is at least another decade away from being commercially viable and that immediate policy measures that reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming are needed. In addition to the technological deficiencies of fuel cell technology, Romm pointed to the added expense. Hydrogen, he said, would cost drivers four to seven dollars per gallon. With growing numbers in the scientific community urging swift action to reduce rising temperatures, Romm advocates energy conservation, mandatory emissions reductions and a research and development focus on renewable technologies like wind and solar power. Romm said cities like Houston, where air pollution problems are exacerbated by the urban heat island effect could lead the way when it comes to energy efficiency. White, a former colleague in the department of energy called Romm the nation’s leading expert on energy efficiency. He agreed that Houston needs a plan to cool down. He focused on the importance of educating builders and contractors about using light-colored roofing materials that reflect heat and porous paving materials that promote drainage. “My job is to run Houston well and make it a greener city that is smart about energy,” he said. To that end, White secured grant funding for the city last year to develop pamphlets for builders that detail green building practices. White stopped short of supporting a city ordinance that mandates these building practices be implemented on all new construction, but he said policymakers should develop consensus-based standards that promote environmental design. He also said he supports providing economic incentives for following green building practices and providing credits for emissions reductions. These and other measures are part of the Cool Houston Initiative.

Researchers at the Houston Advanced Research Center, based in the Woodlands, are working to help reduce heat island effect and renewable energy projects. Senior research scientist for HARC David Hitchcock attended the CLEAN event. He said HARC’s involvement with the General Motors fuel cell project launched at the Dow Chemical facility in Freeport in February is a good example of the kind of testing that needs to be done on hydrogen technology. “It will be at least another decade or two to work out problems (with the fuel cell),” he said. In addition to fuel cells, HARC is testing other energy alternatives like biomass, cellulosic ethanol, wind and solar. HARC is currently studying migratory bird patterns in an effort to limit mortality caused by wind turbines in the Gulf Coast. According to Romm, development of commercially viable fuel alternatives is crucial to curbing global warming trends. “We can’t continue on the business-as-usual path,” he said. Romm referred to a projected 500 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions generated from new coal-fired power plants around the world within the next decade. “We have to focus on solutions that make sense now,” he said. Romm also stressed the importance of renewables, not only as a means of reversing climate change, but of promoting national security. He said an “addiction” to fossil fuels is forcing America’s dependence on foreign oil and driving the country to war. “I think it’s ironic that so many people’s response to (the September 11 terrorist attack) was to buy an SUV, or even worse a Hummer, and slap an American flag on it,” he said. “The most patriotic thing we can do is to have an intelligent, efficient energy policy.” In addition to city initiatives like Cool Houston and stronger federal energy policy, Romm also urged individual action to reduce global warming. He encouraged Houstonians to buy hybrid cars and look for the energy star label when buying home appliances.