Hydrogen fuel cells can help wean the country from dependence on foreign oil, and trains will be the place to start, speakers said Friday at a Charlotte conference.

While running most cars on hydrogen will take decades to be feasible, advocates believe trains could be converted more quickly.

The conference was sponsored by the N.C. Department of Commerce, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, N.C. State Energy Office, Appalachian State University, the Centralina Council of Governments, and the Greater Charlotte and Mooresville/South Iredell Chambers of Commerce.

Local groups are encouraging hydrogen technologies, which they hope could lead to jobs in the state, as well as improve the air and make the country less dependent on petroleum.

The hydrail idea has been around since the 1970s and is still in research and early demonstration projects, conference organizers said.

"We hope to ride the global economic transformation" to hydrogen, said Bill Thunberg, vice president for economic development for the Mooresville/South Iredell Chamber of Commerce.

Currently, diesel-powered trains are not one of the country's main polluters, so cleaning up their emissions is not the issue. Instead, if more freight was moved by hydrogen-powered trains rather than by trucks, "then we'd be on to something," said Alistair Miller of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

He suggested using hydrail technology in the country's busiest freight corridors and also on commuter trains.

Charlotte Area Transit System plans to build the state's first commuter rail line from uptown to Mooresville late this decade, using diesel-powered trains.

David Carol, commuter rail project manager for CATS, told the conference that public transportation agencies were concerned with safety and ease of operations. How would hydrail work in hot and cold weather? Would it be as good as diesel? What happens in a collision?

CATS would be willing to test hydrail with federal approval, he said.