 The Department of Energy's "Request for Information" comment period
on a restructured FutureGen closed at midnight Monday. In an
eight-page statement, Illinois urged the department to recognize the
inherent shortcomings of its post-FutureGen plan and abandon it. The
statement also outlined the numerous reasons for continuing with
FutureGen at Mattoon as originally planned."FutureGen is the only
clean-coal project ready to allow us to tap America's vast coal
reserves while dramatically reducing the greenhouse gas emissions
that cause global warming," Blagojevich said. "The Department of
Energy's proposal to restructure the project is a tremendous setback
on two issues of great importance to our nation: our quest for
energy independence and our fight against climate change."
Shortcomings of the restructured plan include substantial time
delays, questions about commercial viability, lack of international
participation and government credibility. Using reasonable
scenarios, the counterproposal would delay carbon capture
sequestration by as much as five years. In addition, DOE is
unrealistic that integrated gasification combined-cycle technology
has reached a level of maturity needed for this project, and that a
multisite carbon capture initiative can be launched for DOE's
estimated $1.3 billion price tag.
"Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global concern and needs
solutions without borders," Blagojevich said. "FutureGen in Mattoon
has the backing of a 13-member international consortium of
private-sector partners with representation on six continents. DOE's
counterproposal fails to take international considerations into
account. Shifting the project to a U.S.-only approach is a
disservice to our country and our global partners."
Illinois is calling on DOE to proceed without further delay to
develop the original FutureGen project, at the highly qualified site
chosen at Mattoon. By moving swiftly back to its original vision for
FutureGen, the U.S. Department of Energy can have a facility
operational in four years. Scrapping costly and detailed FutureGen
design and environmental work would waste time and money, setting
the initiative back by as much as five years.
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 "FutureGen, as it was
originally designed, is the only project that can proceed with
urgency to help address global climate change. We urge President
Bush, who initiated FutureGen, to reject DOE's counterproposal and
move forward with FutureGen in Mattoon as originally planned -- a
public-private international partnership to address one of the most
important global issues of our time," said Jack Lavin, director of
the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
FutureGen is a coal gasification facility, which will convert
coal into hydrogen and electricity, while pioneering the capture and
safe storage of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide deep underground.
The project is intended to lay the groundwork for developing similar
plants around the country and the world. Proceeding with FutureGen
as planned also will pave the way for America's continued use of
coal and enable coal to be an engine for job creation and economic
growth.
President Bush initiated FutureGen in 2003, and as recently as
his State of the Union address he reiterated that environmentally
responsible energy is essential to keeping our economy growing. On
Nov. 30, 2007, DOE reaffirmed that the project was moving forward as
planned. In December 2007, Mattoon was chosen as the site of the
FutureGen project. After it became clear that an Illinois site would
be chosen over a Texas site, the department suggested the project be
dismantled. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is under
intense questioning on Capitol Hill for this decision.
The FutureGen Alliance, the project's developer, has vowed to
continue working with the state of Illinois and the Illinois
congressional delegation to ensure the project moves forward and
succeeds in Mattoon.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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