Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham released a "roadmap" Nov. 12 for putting fuel cells in the nation's cars and trucks, further committing the United States to a hydrogen-based transportation system, according to an Associated Press report. Abraham held a closed-door meeting Nov. 12 with the chief executives of some of the nation's leading businesses, including Ford, General Motors Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., as well as the leaders of American, Northwest and Southwest airlines, according to AP. The technology could have two big benefits: sharply cutting America's dependence on oil imports from an unstable Middle East and reducing the production of greenhouse gases widely blamed for global warming, AP said. But fuel-cell technology is not expected to be widely available until the end of the decade at least. Critics say the Bush administration and auto industry are using fuel cell research as a way to fend off calls for vehicles that get more miles per gallon, according to AP.