FutureGen
Canceled
January
30, 2008
The
US Department of Energy has canceled its funding for the FutureGen project, a
no-emission carbon-sequestering coal power plant, in Mattoon, Illinois. This is a travesty for energy dependence,
energy research, coal producing states, and America in general. The loss of potential jobs (research
scientists, engineers, miners, construction workers, analysts, administrators,
etc.) is staggering.
This
is exactly the type of homegrown, industrial green project that every lawmaker
in Washington DC claims to support.
FutureGen, if successful, would provide clean energy from a plentiful,
local source. Illinois could
export this technology across the nation and the globe. FutureGen could develop new technology
and techniques to make the Mattoon plant the prototype for no-emission plants
in Canada, China, India, South Africa, and Indonesia.
How
did this happen? Why did the USDOE
decide to pull funding from such a worthy project? There is speculation the decision may be part of a
politically based backlash against Illinois for beating out Texas in the
contest to develop the project.
The official word from US Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman is that they
have changed the scope of the project and now want to include coal gasification
technology along with carbon capture technology. They will solicit proposals and began the selection process
anew.
So
itŐs back to square one for FutureGen Alliance. Illinois has strong lobbyists and must receive this news as
just a small setback not the end. Form a partnership with the Gasification Technological Institute
in Des Plaines. Let me know if I
can help. This project will help
clean the air for too many young lungs and provide future careers for too many
young minds to accept anything but success.
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Future Gen concept at http://www.fossil.energy.gov/images/programs/powersystems/futuregen_hires3.jpg PS MIT needs to mind their
business. Establishing
techniques to increase the effectiveness and reduce the cost of sequestering
emissions underground qualifies as developing new technology. |
