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Proposed hydrogen fuel facility in Tracy highlighted at Valley Link luncheon

Tracy’s place in the Valley Link rail project was highlighted during a luncheon last week at the Tracy Community Center.

The Sept. 18 event was hosted by the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group and the Tracy Chamber of Commerce, Tracy Earth Project, the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority and the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA).

A series of speakers addressed the Valley Link/LAVTA Advancing Hydrogen Electrification and Deployment (AHEAD) project, which will bring a proposed hydrogen fuel production facility to Tracy. That facility is planned for a piece of city-owned land along Schulte Road, a site once known as the “antenna farm,” between the Owens Brockway Glass Container plant and the Prologis International Park of Commerce. That site is already slated as an operations and maintenance facility for Valley Link.

The hydrogen fuel production facility will be a central aspect of the Valley Link project, which is designed to relieve traffic congestion on Interstate 580 and the Altamont Pass, while also serving as the nation’s first rail system to be powered by hydrogen fuel.

“Today there is no clean, reliable, high frequency transit alternative to vehicular congestion on Interstates 205 and 580 for the more than 105,000 Bay Area workers now commuting daily from their homes in communities in the Northern San Joaquin Valley,” said Melissa Hernandez, BART Director and Chair of the Valley Link Board of Directors.

“Valley Link seeks to connect the Northern California megaregion with the first passenger rail system in California running on self-produced, green hydrogen and a hydrogen fuel production facility able to support the clean energy goals of other transit and heavy truck operators.”

Over the course of the 2-hour event speakers discussed the plans for the 42-mile commuter rail system, which could begin construction next year and provide service along the first 22-mile phase between Mountain House and Dublin/Pleasanton by 2027-28.

“Even before Valley Link begins operations, the hydrogen production facility will support clean energy for Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority and other transit operators within the next 2 to 3 years, providing a near-immediate benefit to the community,” said Katie Marcel, CEO of Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group.

Speakers commented that Tracy and other communities on both sides of the Altamont Pass will benefit from job creation and economic growth related to the project.

Kevin Sheridan, Valley Link Executive Director, described the 42-mile alignment of the Valley Link route and its connections with the Altamont Corridor Express and BART’s Dublin/Pleasanton station, including the first 22-mile phase between Mountain House and Dublin/Pleasanton.

He noted that $800 million already available in local and state funding will help leverage federal grants to close the funding gap on the project, expected to total up to $1.9 billion. Also giving the rail authority an advantage in the quest for matching funds are the mandates to seek alternatives to widening freeways.

Sheridan recalled how widening Interstate 205 from four to six lanes in 2007-08 cut commute times by 20 minutes, but after new home construction ramped up again in the San Joaquin Valley about 10 years ago those gains are long forgotten.

“All of a sudden 205 looks exactly like it does at six lanes as when we were working on it at four lanes,” he said. “We can’t widen 205 anymore. It’s just not feasible to do it.”

Sheridan went on to explain that new state rules for widening freeways also call for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from car exhaust.

“In order to widen a freeway you have to show how you are going to mitigate for greenhouse gases, and the only way to really do that is by having a rail or bus system. In this corridor a rail system makes the most sense.”

Sheridan added that efforts are under way to nail down the costs and funding sources for the hydrogen facility in Tracy.

“It really is a unique opportunity for the region to be first in this area, to be able to produce hydrogen and supply it for the buses and the businesses in trying to achieve zero emission goals for the state.”

Christy Wegener, Executive Director of Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), noted that her agency already provides feeder bus service to three ACE stations, two BART stations and will go to three Valley Link stations in the Livermore-Dublin-Pleasanton area.

She explained how the Accelerating Hydrogen Electrification and Deployment (AHEAD) project will be a key component of Valley Link and will support her agency as well. To that end, LAVTA is joining Valley Link in a $70 million grant application to the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), another funding source that prioritizes green energy.

Wegener noted that because of their zero-emission goals, LAVTA and Valley Link are well-positioned to get that grant money to help build the hydrogen production facility in Tracy.

She noted that the state requires transit agencies to be zero-emission by 2040, beginning with every bus purchase in 2029, and the LAVTA board adopted a plan to be zero-emission by 2034, beating the state mandate by six years

“We cannot do that if we do not have more infrastructure, affordable hydrogen and a skilled workforce,” she said.

“The current type of hydrogen is 2½ times the price of diesel, and is not produced anywhere local. Agencies are trucking it in from Reno, Vegas and Irvine, and that adds more GHGs (greenhouse gases) into the environment, which does defeat the purpose of a zero emissions future,” Wegener said.

“Without a local affordable hydrogen supply, our zero emissions future could be limited to a few bus lines, which will not help in accomplishing the state’s aggressive climate goals.”

Other speakers at last week’s event included Momoko Tamaoki, Deputy Director of Planning and Programming at San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission; and Beth McCormick, Employer Engagement Specialist with Las Positas College.

Tamaoki discussed the advancement of the hydrogen rail vehicle deployment on other passenger rail systems connecting the San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area; and McCormick discussed partnerships with Los Positas College and workforce development as transportation agencies make the transition to hydrogen-fueled transportation.

District 13 Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua provided closing comments, noting that Senate Bill 125 provided funding to the San Joaquin Council of Governments to support the transition of public transit fleets in San Joaquin County to zero emission vehicles.

“Our region’s success depends on the collaboration of everyone at every level of government. Thankfully, we have solutions to bring this opportunity to fruition. An investment in the hydrogen facility will lift all boats by improving the lives of our constituents and our environment.”

https://www.ttownmedia.com/tracy_press/proposed-hydrogen-fuel-facility-in-tracy-highlighted-at-valley-link-luncheon/article_f306488e-7c2b-11ef-a8e0-6b07b161e760.html

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