SR0232 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0232 LRB099 11398 GRL 32264 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 clean coal project uses innovative technology that captures carbon dioxide from a retrofitted central Illinois coal-fired power plant and permanently stores the carbon dioxide in secure geological strata, resulting in what will be one of the cleanest coal fired power plants in the nation; and

WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is a public-private partnership between the United States Department of Energy and the non-profit FutureGen Alliance; and

WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is expected to help ensure the long-term viability of Illinois Basin coal as a major energy source in Illinois and throughout the nation and represents a significant step in the State's efforts to become a self-sufficient clean energy producer; and

WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated more than $1 billion in funding for advancing clean coal technologies and the FutureGen 2.0 Project; and

WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 Project is an important coal development and conversion project that will create jobs in Illinois during the construction and operational phases, contribute to the overall State economy, and help reinvigorate the Illinois Basin coal industry; and

WHEREAS, Major work has already begun on the FutureGen 2.0 Project and air permits, water permits, carbon dioxide pipeline, and underground carbon dioxide storage permits have all been approved or are near finalization; halting funding for the project would result in job losses and waste more than $200 million in already spent public and private funds; and

WHEREAS, A June 2013 study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that the FutureGen 2.0 project will generate $12 billion in economic activity for the State of Illinois, including $7.3 billion in economic activity in Morgan County; and

WHEREAS, The FutureGen 2.0 project has vocal bipartisan support in the United States Senate from Illinois Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Department of Energy to continue funding the FutureGen 2.0 Project, as it is an important project that will help demonstrate an environmentally-preferred way to use coal to generate power and help guarantee the long-term viability of Illinois Basin coal by demonstrating that it can be used to generate power with near zero carbon emissions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Congress and the members of the Illinois congressional delegation to continue to support the FutureGen 2.0 project and to extend the September 30, 2015 deadline on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for this important clean coal technology.