Blagojevich urges Congress to advance landmark clean-coal project after two-day meeting with FutureGen Alliance Board

摘要

As Blagojevich Administration officials wrap up a two-day meeting with members of the FutureGen Alliance Board of Directors regarding plans to advance the landmark FutureGen clean-coal project, Governor Blagojevich sent a letter to Congressman John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, urging him to stand by the FutureGen project and proceed with the original plans to bring FutureGen to Illinois. The Committee was scheduled to hear testimony February 7 from U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on the Department's 2009 budget proposal. Last week Bodman announced his intention to try to dismantle the 1.5 billion dollars FutureGen clean coal project. "FutureGen is the only clean coal project nationwide ready to demonstrate how coal gasification--integrated with carbon capture and sequestration technology--can allow us to tap America's vast coal reserves while dramatically reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming," Blagojevich wrote to Rep. Dingell. "The withdrawal of support by USDOE for the FutureGen project creates a tremendous setback to our progress in addressing two issues of great importance to our nation: our quest for energy independence and our fight against climate change. That is why I ask that you use all the powers of the legislative branch to reverse USDOE's decision and uphold the federal government's commitment to build FutureGen, the world's cleanest fossil fuel-fired power plant."