Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, along with several other
Midwestern lawmakers, took a critical step last week toward making the planned
275-megawatt coal-gasification plant, commonly referred to as FutureGen, a
reality.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Burris and Durbin
asked for the release of the project’s Record of Decision, a document certifying that the plans for FutureGen meet
federal environmental requirements.
“FutureGen is our country’s best hope for building and operating a near-zero-emission coal-fired power
plant,” the senators wrote. The facility proposes to limit carbon emissions by
utilizing an experimental technology that captures and stores pollutants in
underground rock formations.
After approving FutureGen for construction in nearby Mattoon, the Bush
Administration jettisoned the program in 2008 due to spiraling costs, and never
issued the Record of Decision.
Despite President Barack Obama’s campaign statements advocating clean coal solutions, Chu is not a fervent coal
booster.
Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, once called coal his “worst nightmare.” During his recent confirmation hearing, he softened that position, however,
saying: “Coal is an abundant resource in the world. . . . India, China, Russia and the United States, I believe, will not turn their back
on coal, so it is imperative that we figure out a way to use coal as cleanly as
possible.”
Sens. Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond of Missouri and Sherrod Brown and George
Voinovich of Ohio also signed off on the letter asking for the environmental
certification. McCaskill and Brown are Democrats; Bond and Voinovich are
Republicans.
According to Durbin spokeswoman Christina Mulka, Chu had not yet responded to
the letter as of this week but Durbin is looking forward to having a decision
as soon as possible.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2009.
