For Release: Friday, June 13, 2008
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661

COSTELLO STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT BUSH AND DOE SHUTTING DOWN FUTUREGEN PROJECT

Washington - U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) issued the following statement regarding the Department of Energy today notifying the FutureGen Alliance that it had rejected the Alliance’s Continuation Application, shutting down the FutureGen Project.

“President Bush and Secretary Bodman are responsible for shutting down FutureGen and setting back by years our efforts to develop the most advanced clean coal technologies. I will say again that I do not believe we would be at this point today if the FutureGen Alliance had chosen a site in Texas. Despite this short-sightedness, we will press forward with our efforts to fulfill the original vision of FutureGen at the Mattoon location, working with the next President to bring it to fruition. Our nation’s energy needs and our economic future are too important for five years’ worth of progress to simply be discarded.”

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