Brian Redmond, president of Hog Lick Aggregates, plans to build a new industry from scratch here in Marion County.

“Hydrogen will be a fuel of the future,” Redmond said. “You’re starting to see more and more diesel restrictions in terms of emission limits on vehicles. That’s only going to get stricter as the economy progresses. So what we’re trying to do is get ahead of the curve, number one, be part of that part of the process of cleaning up the environment. Number two, do it in a cost effective manner.”

The goal is to make hydrogen fuel competitive with diesel. Right now, one of Redmond’s biggest cost items is diesel, or how much it costs to run the trucks and equipment that break and move rocks that customers order from the company. He sees the hydrogen hub as a good opportunity to offset diesel fuel costs with hydrogen instead.