Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Governator: "Hydrogen is da Bomb!"

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, proving once again that he never met a photo-op he didn't like, tooled up to the brand new BP station just down the road from LAX and topped off his Hummer's tank the other day.

Ho-hum, just another day in the life of our action-star-turned-girlie man-exterminating head of state, right?

Not really. This fill-up cost a cool $10 a gallon, and the Hummer in question was a custom-built hydrogen-powered SUV of the future. The Governor was on hand to promote the California Hydrogen Highway, his plan to build a network of hydrogen filling stations across the Golden State.

Sounds great! We'll just whip on down to the BP in our new hydrogen powered car (as soon as they're invented), plop down $10 a gallon (hell, we're almost halfway there, anyhow), and cruise on down to Santa Monica on a tank of clean-burning hydrogen (that can only be produced by using our old friend Mr. Fossil Fuel).

Don't get us wrong, we applaud the Governor's effort to do something, anything about the whole tangled morass of air pollution, our dependence on foreign oil, and the coming peak of oil production.

Pretty clearly, action is needed. But maybe the money that would be spent on the Hydrogen Highway would be better spent encouraging people to conserve energy by driving less, on tax breaks to encourage the purchase of more fuel-efficient cars, and on public transit improvements.

Sponsored message

When hydrogen truly becomes a viable alternative, sign us up. If it pans out, it would truly change things for the better.

Plus, it's just plain futuristic and cool.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right