 Blagojevich, the Illinois congressional delegation, and state and
local partners across Illinois have been working for more than four
years to bring the $1.4 billion FutureGen project to Mattoon or
Tuscola. In an open letter from the governor to the people of
central Illinois, he thanked everyone who played a role in the
effort to secure the landmark project.
"With the final site decision for FutureGen set for next Tuesday,
I want to thank the people of central Illinois, and specifically the
communities of Mattoon and Tuscola, their local and state elected
officials, our United States congressional delegation, and members
of the FutureGen for Illinois Task Force for assisting in our effort
to bring this groundbreaking coal-to-energy project to Illinois. I'm
optimistic that the FutureGen Alliance will recognize what we
already know to be true: Illinois is the right home for a project so
important to the well-being of the coal industry, the environment
and the energy security of the United States," Blagojevich wrote.
FutureGen for Illinois has already secured endorsements from
Wyoming, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, West
Virginia and Michigan. The coalition of states supporting Illinois'
bid to secure the FutureGen project now represents three-quarters of
the coal produced in the United States each year and 59 percent of
the total U.S. reserves. In addition, the more than 20,000 members
of the United Mine Workers of America have also announced their
support for FutureGen in Illinois.
FutureGen is designed to be the cleanest fossil-fuel-fired power
plant in the world. The facility will convert coal into hydrogen and
electricity, while capturing and safely storing the carbon dioxide
deep underground. It will lay the groundwork for developing similar
plants around the country and the world, pioneering the capture,
rather than release of greenhouse gases. Illinois is a coal state
whose geology will maximize the transferability of FutureGen's
technology.
FutureGen will produce 275 megawatts of electric power, which is
enough electricity to power 150,000 homes, as well as hydrogen for
fuel cell technology that will serve as the next-generation
"battery" to operate everything from a computer to a car.
The FutureGen Industrial Alliance, which is developing the
facility for the U.S. Department of Energy, is expected to announce
its final selection from the four remaining sites on Tuesday. The
two other sites are in Texas.
For more information on FutureGen, please visit
www.futuregenforillinois.com.
The governor's letter reads as follows:
December 16, 2007
To the People of
Central Illinois,
With the final site
decision for FutureGen set for next Tuesday, I want to thank the
people of Central Illinois, and specifically the communities of
Mattoon and Tuscola, their local and state elected officials, our
United States Congressional delegation, and members of the FutureGen
for Illinois Task Force for assisting in our effort to bring this
ground-breaking coal-to-energy project to Illinois. I'm optimistic
that the FutureGen Alliance will recognize what we already know to
be true: Illinois is the right home for a project so important to
the well-being of the coal industry, the environment and the energy
security of the United States.
[to top of second column] |
For the past year, you have been an integral part of a statewide
effort to demonstrate that central Illinois has the ideal coal
resources, geology, and infrastructure to make FutureGen a success.
That is why the United Mine Workers of America International and a
coalition of eight states representing more than 75 percent of U.S.
coal production have endorsed Illinois' FutureGen bid, including:
Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia and Wyoming.
The tireless effort
to bring FutureGen home to Mattoon or Tuscola has been a true team
effort. Members of the FutureGen for Illinois Task Force I appointed
last year served as ambassadors stressing the importance of
FutureGen to every corner of the state. The Illinois Congressional
delegation and the Illinois state legislature worked diligently in a
bipartisan fashion to ensure that FutureGen is a national and state
priority. And, local elected officials and economic development
teams worked hand-in-hand with the state to assemble what I believe
will be the winning FutureGen proposal. Everyone who has worked so
hard to bring FutureGen to Illinois should be tremendously proud.
Whether Mattoon or
Tuscola is selected as the FutureGen site, the project will benefit
families and communities across east central Illinois by creating
1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs. In addition to the
estimated $1.5 billion investment by the federal government and the
FutureGen Alliance, the State of Illinois has pledged over $80
million in grants, low cost financing and tax credits to help secure
the project.
FutureGen's 'near
zero-emission' coal-gasification technology holds great promise to
revolutionize our nation's coal industry and ensure that coal
continues to be an integral part of our energy future while reducing
the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Since the inception
of this project back in 2003, we've known that Illinois must be the
state to lead this charge.
Thanks to your
unwavering support, we are much closer to accomplishing this goal. I
look forward to celebrating what I hope will be a great victory for
the State of Illinois.
Sincerely,
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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