SACRAMENTO -- Michael Tollstrup of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has been appointed Acting Executive Director of the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative (CaSFCC), an organization that promotes the development and use of stationary fuel cells in California.

"I have the utmost confidence that Mike Tollstrup can keep the Collaborative's momentum going until a permanent Executive Director is appointed," ARB Chairman, Dr. Robert F. Sawyer said. "It is important that the program continues to move forward in a time of administrative transition."

Dr. Sawyer, who also serves as co-chair for the CaSFCC, appointed Tollstrup to replace Ron Friesen who retired in June 2006. Tollstrup has spent 17 years with ARB and currently serves as Chief of the Project Assessment Branch for the Stationary Source Division. As such, he is responsible for the permitting of stationary sources, such as distributed generation sources at power plants, to ensure that they are meeting state and federal clean air standards. He also oversees the development of emission control technologies and stationary source regulations.

The California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative is a joint initiative of federal, state and nongovernmental organizations to commercialize fuel cells for power generation in California. For more information on the CaSFCC, please visit www.stationaryfuelcells.org.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.