Congress member Steve Israel has a high-tech vision for New York State: biofuels in Long Island, nanotechnology in Albany, and fuel cells in Rochester.

He laid that out during a press conference today at the General Motors fuel cell facility in Honeoye Falls. He was invited by Congress member Eric Massa.

Israel, whose district is based on Long Island, serves on the House Appropriations Committee and its energy and water subcommittee. That's why Massa wanted him to tour the fuel cell facility - Israel will have an important role when it comes time to decide where federal money for alternative energy goes.

Massa has been trying to elevate awareness of the facility, which lies in his district.

"We need to make known the incredible advancements that have happened," he said during the press conference.

Israel seems to have adopted Massa's enthusiasm.

"For 30 years we've been talking about this, but we've never put our money where our mouth is," he said.

The government needs to partner with businesses like the Honeoye Falls facility if the country wants to decrease its dependence on foreign oil, he said.

And there is a long road ahead - no pun intended. As GM scientist Dan O'Connell chatted with a group of reporters before the press conference, he said that 12,000 hydrogen fueling stations must be built across the country before drivers of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be able to travel from coast to coast. Right now, there are 100 in operation nationally, and roughly one dozen in New York.

Washington's answer was to include a $300,000 tax credit in the stimulus bill for new hydrogen fueling stations, Israel later said.

But there's another piece that was missing from today's press conference - the technology to create the hydrogen fuel itself. One of the most common ways to create hydrogen is through a process that breaks down natural gas. That still creates greenhouse gas emissions, even if none are created from the fuel cell itself. That defeats the purpose of a fossil fuel alternative.

Another way is through electrolysis, a process where electricity is applied to water to separate hydrogen from the water.

If the federal government wants to invest money in hydrogen fuel cell technology, it also needs to devote resources to the development of clean, efficient technologies to create hydrogen fuel. Creating a new fuel from a fossil fuel just won't do.