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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 clean coal project uses
3innovative technology that captures carbon dioxide from a
4retrofitted central Illinois coal-fired power plant and
5permanently stores the carbon dioxide in secure geological
6strata, resulting in what will be one of the cleanest coal
7fired power plants in the nation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is a public-private
9partnership between the United States Department of Energy and
10the non-profit FutureGen Alliance; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is expected to help
12ensure the long-term viability of Illinois Basin coal as a
13major energy source in Illinois and throughout the nation and
14represents a significant step in the State's efforts to become
15a self-sufficient clean energy producer; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
17appropriated more than $1 billion in funding for advancing
18clean coal technologies and the FutureGen 2.0 Project; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is an important coal
20development and conversion project that will create jobs in
21Illinois during the construction and operational phases,

 

 

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1contribute to the overall State economy, and help reinvigorate
2the Illinois Basin coal industry; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Major work has already begun on the FutureGen 2.0
4Project and air permits, water permits, carbon dioxide
5pipeline, and underground carbon dioxide storage permits have
6all been approved or are near finalization; halting funding for
7the project would result in job losses and waste more than $200
8million in already spent public and private funds; and
 
9    WHEREAS, A June 2013 study by the University of Illinois at
10Urbana-Champaign found that the FutureGen 2.0 project will
11generate $12 billion in economic activity for the State of
12Illinois, including $7.3 billion in economic activity in Morgan
13County; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 project has vocal bipartisan
15support in the United States Senate from Illinois Senators
16Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United
19States Department of Energy to continue funding the FutureGen
202.0 Project, as it is an important project that will help
21demonstrate an environmentally-preferred way to use coal to
22generate power and help guarantee the long-term viability of

 

 

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1Illinois Basin coal by demonstrating that it can be used to
2generate power with near zero carbon emissions; and be it
3further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we urge Congress and the members of the
5Illinois congressional delegation to continue to support the
6FutureGen 2.0 project and to extend the September 30, 2015
7deadline on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for
8this important clean coal technology.