|
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and DCEO Director Jack Lavin and others are meeting Thursday with local officials in Mattoon and Tuscola to discuss the next steps involving recent selection of those communities as finalists for the location of a $1 billion, first-of-a-kind, near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant known as FutureGen.
“We are committed to bringing all of the relevant parties together to make the best possible proposal,” Rep. Johnson said. “These communities have all the tangible elements in place to make this happen, from the work ethic to the coal to the transportation network to the economic incentives. This is vital not only for the coal industry but for the environment and our nation’s energy independence.”
Sen. Durbin added, "FutureGen is the number one federal energy priority for downstate Illinois, and we are here today to work with local, state and federal officials to
make downstate Illinois the number one choice for the Department of Energy.”
The meeting in Tuscola is at 10 a.m. at the Iron Horse Golf Course. The meeting in Mattoon is at noon at Mattoon City Hall, 208 N. 19th
Two weeks ago, the FutureGen Alliance selected Mattoon and Tuscola, both within Rep. Johnson’s 15th Congressional District, to move forward to the next step of the selection process. Sites were evaluated on criteria, including the size of the site,
the site’s access to transportation routes, and the site’s proximity to
geographically well-suited areas. Since April, teams of renowned U.S. and
international scientists have reviewed the proposals from 12 communities
vying for the FutureGen project.
FutureGen is a $1 billion government-industry project which will produce the
first emissions-free coal generation plant of its kind. The Department of
Energy developed a short list of the most qualified states earlier this
year, and are expected to make a final site selection in mid- to late- 2007.
The President’s FY2007 budget made a commitment of $54 million for
FutureGen. An additional $200 million will become available on October 1,
2007 to support continued funding. Non-Federal sources will be required to
match funds for initial planning and research at least 20 percent.
Illinois has almost one-eighth of the coal reserves in the United States and
one-quarter of the nation’s bituminous coal reserves. The Illinois coal
industry produces approximately 35 million tons of coal and generates more
than $1 billion in gross revenues. Currently, recoverable coal reserves in
the state of Illinois amount to more than 30 billion tons. The valuable
mineral underlies 65 percent of the state’s surface.
Durbin and Johnson noted that Illinois geology is also well suited for the
carbon-trapping technology that the FutureGen project would need to develop.
Illinois is home to oil and gas reserves and deep saline aquifers that can
capture and sequester carbon dioxide.
In addition, Southern Illinois University operates its Coal Research Center
in Carbondale- one of the top such centers in the country - which conducts a
wide range of studies that deal with the commercial development of coal. The
center’s work includes improvements of coal cleaning processes, the
reduction of air pollution from coal-fired power plants, the reduction of
solid waste residues from coal burning, and the development of products from
those residues.
In early December of 2005, Secretary Bodman announced that the Department of
Energy would be moving forward with the project, after signing an agreement
with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, a group of coal and energy companies
with investment commitments to the project. The FutureGen Initiative was
initially announced by President Bush in February 2003. Over the next year,
site selection, design activities, and environmental analyses will lay the
groundwork for final project design, construction, and operation.
### |
