States join Illinois' call for original FutureGen plan
Members of the Illinois congressional delegation have gotten some help in urging President Bush to continue FutureGen as it was originally planned.
Representatives from Illinois and other states, such as Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin and West Virginia, sent a letter to the president on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of building the clean-burning power plant in Mattoon.
The letter emphasized the importance of the technology behind FutureGen and the countries involved in the FutureGen Alliance.
The representatives voiced concern that a restructured project, announced by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman at the end of January, will not provide as much carbon sequestration as the site planned for Mattoon. The restructured project could allow the department to partially fund more than one site designed especially for commercial use.
The letter also addressed the expenses for those who applied for FutureGen.
"The communities and states that competed for this project expended thousands of hours and untold sums of money in good faith that the administration's commitment to this scientifically worthy project would be fulfilled," the letter stated. "Please do not allow their work, and this opportunity, to be wasted."
Phil Bloomer, spokesman for Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, said the letter is similar to others sent to the White House, but important because congressmen from other states signed it.
"It's not just some kind of provincial project, and I think this demonstrates that," he said.
The FutureGen Alliance, which was to be the Department of Energy's partner in developing the near-zero-emission plant, submitted a proposal to the department earlier this week. That document also encouraged the department to stick to one plant in Mattoon.
Department of Energy Spokeswoman Julie Ruggiero said the department received dozens of proposals, although she couldn't give a more specific number.
The department expects to take bids this spring from members of the industry. They could receive money from the Department of Energy to create parts of restructured project, Ruggiero said.
The proposals submitted earlier this week could help shape bids for the project, including getting a better sense of a project's costs and feasibility, she said.
"We want to utilize that expertise," Ruggiero said.
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