Facilitating the Safest Possible Transition from Fossil to Hydrogen Fuels- Hydrogen Executive Leadership Panel

In recent years, federal and state safety authorities have worked to bring emergency planners and responders together with industry, the scientific community and consumers to ensure high levels of safety with gas and liquid pipelines, and more recently, with liquefied natural gas terminals. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is the federal authority on the safe transportation of energy, and the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) represents state-level safety authorities. Together, they have produced firefighter safety training materials, technical guidance and information for use in communities considering new energy infrastructure, and conducted research to support these activities. In 2004, the DOT-NASFM partnership established the Hydrogen Executive Leadership Panel (HELP) to ensure a safe transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen fuel cells. HELP brings together senior policy-level experts from all sectors to understand and recommend mitigation strategies for the risks associated with the transportation and use of hydrogen in motor vehicles. The initial group includes experts from the United States, Canada, and Europe. HELP will be supported by an advisory committee of emergency planners and responders—individuals well-equipped to describe real-world scenarios of greatest concern—and by a second advisory committee of engineers and scientists who will help translate the real-world scenarios into useful technical solutions. By September 2005, HELP expects to define the initial real-world scenarios of greatest concern, and bring together teams of experts to collaborate with automakers, energy producers, government authorities, consumers and public safety officials. Much work lies ahead, including creating guidance for hydrogen powered automobiles, emergency response safety training, establishing test methods to reflect real-world incident scenarios, and modifying state and local building and fire codes. The HELP leadership will present its strategic plan and first report at the International Conference on Hydrogen Safety in September 2005.