Durbin Meets with Energy Secretary Bodman to Stress Advantages of Awarding FutureGen to Illinois

Press Release

DURBIN MEETS WITH ENERGY SECRETARY BODMAN TO STRESS ADVANTAGES OF AWARDING FUTUREGEN TO ILLINOIS

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman urging him to locate the FutureGen project in Illinois, pointing to cost savings and geographical advantages of an Illinois site.

"FutureGen is the number one federal energy project for downstate Illinois, an area that has the coal and the commitment needed to make it a reality," said Durbin. "Finding cleaner, cost-effective ways to generate power using coal will help ensure our country's energy security and address global warming. Illinois has unmatched geographic advantages that, combined with efforts to remove barriers at the state level, make it a desirable location for the project."

The FutureGen Initiative, initially announced by President Bush in February 2003, is a $1 billion government-industry project, which will produce the first emissions-free coal generation plant of its kind. The Department of Energy has selected two Illinois sites - Mattoon and Tuscola - and two Texas sites - Odessa and Heart of Brazos as finalists. A draft environmental impact statement is expected in April and a final decision is expected in September 2007.

In today's meeting, Durbin discussed a recent study that noted the annual cost to transport coal to the Texas locations could be between $8.2 and $11 million more than transporting coal to Illinois. Durbin stressed that this could put Illinois at an advantage when it comes to annual costs. The FutureGen Alliance has determined that the base operating costs will be approximately $56.9 million each year.

In arguing the case for Illinois, Durbin also stressed the geographical advantages of the state. Secretary Bodman assured Durbin that the selection of the FutureGen site location will be based firmly in science. Illinois has almost one-eighth of the coal reserves in the United States and one-quarter of the nation's bituminous coal reserves. The Illinois coal industry produces approximately 35 million tons of coal and generates more than $1 billion in gross revenues. Currently, recoverable coal reserves in the state of Illinois amount to more than 30 billion tons. The valuable mineral underlies 65 percent of the state's surface. Durbin noted that Illinois geology is also well suited for the carbon capture and storage technology that the FutureGen project will help develop. Illinois is home to deep saline aquifers that can capture and sequester carbon dioxide.

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