Enabling the Hydrogen Economy
Wednesday, November 12, 2003, 11:30 AM -1:30 PM
GD-50 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Summary
Securing future energy supplies is a critical policy issue that impacts our economy, the environment, social and regional issues, and many other issues of importance to Congress. This panel of industry and government leaders discussed the technologies required to use hydrogen as an energy source, the barriers—both technical and policy—to their adoption, and the role the government might play in making a hydrogen economy a reality in the near future.
Introductory Remarks
| Senator Pete Domenici (R–NM) Remarks | Senator Byron Dorgan (D–ND) Remarks |
| First elected to the Senate in 1972, New Mexico's senior Senator is a champion of science and science research, consistently promoting the attainment of funding for efforts that will provide significant benefits to the lives of Americans, be it medical, health, industry, or economic. He serves as Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as well as the Appropriations, Budget, and Indian Affairs Committees. Senator Domenici is a strong proponent of greater U.S. energy independence, encouraging the development of the domestic oil and natural gas industries, while calling for a reduction in the country's reliance on foreign sources of energy. | In the U.S Senate, Dorgan is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, serving as the Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee. He is also a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and also serves on the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Indian Affairs. He first served North Dakota as its State Tax Commissioner and then in the U .S. House of Representatives for twelve years. Throughout his career in the Senate and the House, Senator Dorgan has vigorously promoted wide use of newer, more efficient energy technologies and renewable sources of energy, and encouraged substantial public/private investment in building a hydrogen economy. |
Featured Speakers
| Steve Chalk Listen to audio of Mr. Chalk's presentation. | J. Byron McCormick Listen to audio of Mr. McCormick's presentation. |
| Steve Chalk is the Department of Energy's Hydrogen Program Manager. He is responsible for integrating and managing the Department's hydrogen and fuel cell research activities in support of the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Prior to this, Mr. Chalk managed the Energy Conversion Team in DOE's Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies. There he was responsible for fuel cells, compression-ignition, direct-injection engines, advanced fuels, and materials. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (University of Maryland) and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (George Washington University). | J. Byron McCormick is Executive Director of the Fuel Cell Activities group for General Motors Corporation. He has been leading GM fuel cell activities since 1997. Dr. McCormick joined GM Delco Electronics in 1986 as Chief Engineer for Advanced Technologies at Delco Systems Operations in Santa Barbara, California. From 1994 to 1997, Dr. McCormick was Managing Director of Delco Propulsion Systems (DPS). Prior to joining GM (1975-1986), Dr. McCormick was at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the Electronics Division. There he led R&D activities that included basic fuel cell and fuel processors, as well as fuel cell propulsion system evaluation. Dr. McCormick earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arizona. |
| Phillip Baxley Listen to audio of Mr. Baxley's presentation. | Richard E. (Rick) Zalesky Listen to audio of Mr. Zalesky's presentation. |
| Phillip Baxley is a Vice President of Shell Hydrogen, a separate business unit established by Shell in 1999 to pursue new business opportunities in hydrogen fuel and fuel cells, with headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phil also heads up the North American regional office of Shell Hydrogen, located in Houston, Texas and additionally serves as Director of QuestAir Technologies, Vancouver, B.C. Phil has been with Shell for 21 years, with prior staff and managerial assignments in Exploration and Production, Business Development, R&D, and Engineering. Prior to joining Shell, he spent two years as an Environmental Consultant with Intera Technologies of Austin, Texas. Phil has an MS degree in biomedical engineering from Rice University and a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida. | Richard E. (Rick) Zalesky is President of the Hydrogen Business Unit for ChevronTexaco Technology Ventures Company. In this role, he has responsibility for infrastructure development, production and supply, as well as all current hydrogen technology initiatives including reforming and hydrogen storage. Rick joined the company in 1978 as a design engineer at the Richmond, California refinery. In his career, he has held a variety of management positions of increasing responsibility in the downstream in refining, marketing, and technology. Prior to his current role Rick was general manager of the major ChevronTexaco refinery in Richmond. Rick is ChevronTexaco's representative on the Fuel Operations Group of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Program of the Department of Energy. A native of Los Angeles, Calif., he is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. |
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