I'd also like to see us less dependent on foreign oil. I see hybrid cars as an interim solution - they reduce fuel consumption by 10-20% without requiring a change in infrastructure. That isn't a revolutionary decrease but it's a start. Fuel cells still have a way to go to become affordable, but the price per kilowatt is trending down. Designs like those from Ballard Corp. that can use gasoline, natural gas, or an alcohol are a good first start. We're still a long way from a viable hydrogen economy.

In the interim, one thing we can do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil is to look for ways to increase domestic production. The best estimates are that there's enough oil in ANWR to replace all of our Saudi imports for 30 years. Things like that can help tide us over until we get further along in fuel cell implementation.