Pennsylvania Backs Illinois on Clean Coal Plant

Pennsylvania Backs Illinois on Clean Coal Plant



October 2007

 The governor of 
Pennsylvania today announced his support to bring FutureGen, a $1.4 
billion, coal-to-energy, zero-emissions facility, to Illinois. 
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell submitted a letter of support for 
neighboring Illinois to the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, which is 
developing the facility for the U.S. Department of Energy. 
Rendell said he supports locating the project in Mattoon or in Tuscola, 
two of only four remaining sites under consideration for this 
public-private project. 
The other two candidate sites are both in Texas - in Odessa and in Heart 
of Brazos. 
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. 
Mattoon and Tuscola are located in east central Illinois and are 
equidistant from Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. With nearby roads, 
railways, rivers, and airports, the region is well connected. 
Mattoon and Tuscola sit above vast coal reserves. "The coal reserves 
beneath Illinois contain more energy than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia 
and Kuwait combined," according to the Illinois Office of Coal 
Development. 
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Congressional delegation, 
and state and local partners have been working for more than four years to 
bring FutureGen to Illinois. 
The Alliance is expected to announce its final selection from the four 
remaining sites by the end of the year. 
"Illinois offers the right mix of geology, expertise, transportation 
infrastructure, as well as the state and community support, which is 
necessary for a project of this magnitude," said Gov. Rendell in the 
letter. 
"Illinois' natural characteristics are more common with other coal 
producing states like Pennsylvania that will look to replicate the 
technologies demonstrated by the FutureGen project," the governor wrote. 
"It is critical that FutureGen is successful," he wrote, "and we believe 
that the State of Illinois and their sites offer the FutureGen Industrial 
Alliance the best chance for success in the future." 
"Other states committed to clean coal technology like Pennsylvania 
understand that bringing FutureGen to Illinois is the right decision for 
our country. Science is on our side to make this project a tremendous 
success and replicate this technology in other coal rich states," the 
Illinois governor said. 
"The geology, infrastructure and commitment to clean coal technology that 
exists in Illinois makes us the logical location for FutureGen, and along 
with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we will continue to demonstrate why 
this project that will change the way we look at energy production belongs 
here," Governor Blagojevich said. 
Indiana and Kentucky are also supportive of Illinois' efforts. Since the 
two states share the same coal basin, Governor Blagojevich and Indiana 
Governor Mitch Daniels signed a memo in December 2005 stating that 
Illinois' strong financial support for coal development, as well as its 
appealing geologic features, make the state the ideal host for the 
federally supported project. 
Kentucky's Office of Energy Policy also supports Illinois' bid to attract 
FutureGen. 
FutureGen will be 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 storing the carbon dioxide deep 
underground. This effort will lay the groundwork for developing similar 
power plants around the country and the world, providing a framework for 
new energy projects that capture, rather than release greenhouse gases. 
Like Illinois, Pennsylvania is a coal mining state and shares many common 
characteristics in terms of water, land uses and geology, which makes 
replicating FutureGen much easier. 
Members of the FutureGen Alliance represent the largest energy companies 
in the United States, plus major energy companies in China and Europe, as 
well as India and South Korea. 

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