Lawmakers Need to Jump on Coal Band Wagon
Our Views
EDITORIAL, H&R Springfield Bureau Writer

June 19, 2008 – DECATUR - There is a way to generate much-needed electricity for Illinois and surrounding states, help ease the nation’s energy woes and potentially create thousands of well-paying jobs for state residents. The way is coal.

Unfortunately, environmental concerns, growing construction budgets and the reluctance of lawmakers to move forward have put many large coal projects on hold.

The massive $2.5 billion Taylorville Energy Center project still has not received the assistance from lawmakers it needs to make the project a reality. The project, proposed by Nebraska-based Tenaska, would use a ‘clean coal’ technology to create electricity.

Tenaska believes it needs the permission to enter in to long-term contracts with utilities to finance the plant, but so far, the Illinois General Assembly has seemed less than excited about the project. Tenaska officials say they originally selected Illinois because of the amount of coal that’s readily available in the state. Officials say, however, that if Illinois isn’t interested, they could move the project to another state.

Another coal-fired electrical generating plant, the FutureGen plant in Mattoon, was effectively scuttled when the federal government withdrew funding. There are still slim hopes funding will be restored.

There are a few, smaller coal projects in the works. Secure Energy Inc. is trying to build a $550 million plant that would convert coal to natural gas. The company is currently trying to secure financing and may be helped by a $14 million grant from the state.

But the fact remains that Illinois has a lot of coal under its ground, with little of it being used.

Because the coal in Illinois has a high-sulfur content, environmental concerns have severely reduced the mining of Illinois coal.

The supporters of clean coal plants, however, contend that they have a way to use the coal and not adversely affect the environment. State Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, is correct when he states, ‘You’ve got to do something.’

Of course, if a consistent market for Illinois coal could be developed, it would result in thousands of jobs for Illinois residents and bring a good deal of money into the state.

The state’s economic development professionals support the clean-coal projects and were instrumental in snagging the original commitment for FutureGen.

But it doesn’t appear that the General Assembly sees the big picture. Its lack of action on the Taylorville project has sent a clear message that the state isn’t going to be friendly to coal generating plants. Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s delay on getting the money for the Secure Energy project also doesn’t send a welcoming message.

Other companies wanting to invest in clean-coal technology have good reason to wonder about whether Illinois will welcome the idea of new plants.

The opportunity for using Illinois coal is tremendous. At some point, the market will be created and used. But the state is in danger of missing a great opportunity if it doesn’t start taking positive action to use Illinois coal.
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