For Release: Thursday, March 13, 2003
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661

COSTELLO MEETS WITH ENERGY OFFICIALS CONCERNING NEW COAL PLANT

Washington- U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) met today with Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Carl Michael Smith and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coal and Power Systems George Rudins concerning the Bush administration's FutureGen project, a recently announced $1 billion dollar, 10-year effort to build a coal power plant that emits no carbon dioxide. Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) and Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) were represented at the meeting.

"We had a very good discussion today concerning the scope and requirements of the FutureGen project and it is clear that Illinois should be high on the Administration's location list," said Costello. "I look forward to the involvement of the State of Illinois to help make the case to the Department of Energy that Illinois is the best place for this facility."

Costello believes that Southern Illinois is the perfect place to locate the new plant. The region is rich in high-sulfur coal reserves and the Coal Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located there. In addition, the geology of the region is well suited to the carbon-trapping technology to be developed. Illinois is home to oil and gas reserves and deep saline aquifers that can permanently sequester carbon dioxide.

Coal underlies 65 percent of the state's surface and the Illinois coal industry annually produces approximately 35 million tons of coal and generates more than $1 billion in gross revenues. Currently, recoverable coal reserves in the state of Illinois amount to more than 30 billion tons. Illinois has almost one-eighth of the coal reserves in the United States and one-quarter of the nation's bituminous coal reserves. Illinois' coal reserves contain more BTU's than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Costello is a senior member of the House Science Committee and the Energy Subcommittee. He authored important clean coal provisions that were introduced this week as the Clean Coal Power Act of 2003. Similar language was adopted during consideration of national energy legislation last Congress, and Costello will lead this effort again when the energy bill is considered later this month.

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