LOS ANGELES, CA – At this week’s 100th annual L.A. Auto Show, Gov. Schwarzenegger highlighted the important role the newest alternate-fuel vehicles play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state and throughout the world.

“We challenged the car companies to innovate, to think beyond gasoline, and to deliver cleaner more efficient cars,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said. “These cars are the future of the automobile industry, and I know that they are the future for California because we have taken the lead in environmental protection and promoting alternative fuels.”

The L.A. Auto Show is an international auto show, showcasing 1,000 of the newest vehicles from 47 of the world’s automobile manufacturers. Environmentally friendly cars are the highlight of this year’s show, where General Motors, Honda, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, and Tesla are a few of the companies that will feature alternative-fuel powered cars.

Developing a robust infrastructure to support the wide use of hydrogen power and clean energy in California has been a top priority for Gov. Schwarzenegger. In Apr. 2004, the Governor signed an executive order creating a public and private partnership to build the Hydrogen Highway in California by 2010. The goal of the initiative is to rapidly modernize California’s transportation infrastructure and economy to support the use of hydrogen energy.

The Governor opened California’s first retail hydrogen fueling station in Oct. 2004, located at Los Angeles International Airport. Currently, there are two dozen hydrogen-fueling stations in the state. Eventually, a network of 150 to 200 hydrogen-fueling stations throughout California (approximately one station every 20 miles on the State’s major highways) would make hydrogen fuel available to the vast majority of Californians.

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s environmental efforts were recognized earlier this month by the Environment Agency in England and Wales by placing the governor twenty-ninth on the agency’s list of the world’s top 100 eco-heroes of all time, voted on by a panel of environmental experts.