Cleveland, Ohio — a city that earned ecological infamy when the Cuyahoga River caught on fire in 1969 — is hoping to make environmental and automotive history by becoming home to the nation’s first public hydrogen fueling station. The station, which will open off the Ohio Turnpike in about two years, is one of four that will be built in the state in the next decade. It will cater to fuel-cell cars, only a few of which are currently on the road — none of them in Ohio. The project is in keeping with Republican Gov. Bob Taft’s $100 million, three-year fuel-cell initiative and the state’s ongoing commitment to alternative vehicles. The station will sell fuel, but not the usual pop, candy, and beer; in place of a mini-mart, it will be equipped with a learning center promoting clean automotive technologies.
