FutureGen
The State Journal-Register's article on FutureGen today is the first news coverage I've seen that isn't completely one-sided cheerleading in favor of the project.
I'm impressed that someone finally pointed out the heads of local news outlets who are serving on the task force lobbying for FutureGen. They have had nothing but the most glowing, one-sided reports about FutureGen. It's clearly a conflict of interest that damages their credibility as news organizations. Its too bad there wasn't a quote from anyone at WICS TV 20.
Researching so-called "clean" coal is fine but this is far more important to the coal industry than it is to the general public. The coal industry needs to find a way to use their product in an environment that regulates carbon. They need to conduct this research for their own survival so why shouldn't they pay for it themselves instead of being subsidized heavily by taxpayers?
If political leaders care about economic growth more than they care about coal industry special interest groups then the answer is attracting energy technologies of the future. Brining in factories to build solar panels and wind turbines will create more long term jobs than pipe-dreams about reviving the coal economy. Additionally, jobs related to energy efficiency and conservation programs can't be shipped overseas.
Late last year I happened to drive through one of the towns FutureGen is considering in Texas. It had a large banner on the edge of town saying "We want FutureGen!" That's when I realized what a brilliant public relations scam the backers of FutureGen are conducting.
The coal industry needs new technologies to survive but they want to pass the cost of research onto taxpayers as much as possible. So they picked a few poor communities around the nation as "finalists" that are so desperate for jobs that they'll offer up all the tax breaks and subsidies they can. Not only that but they'll be excited to host a plant with uncertain environmental consequences and allow the coal industry to have no liability for experiments gone wrong.
There's a reason this project isn't proposed for a wealthy Chicago suburb like Schaumburg or Evanston. People there would drive FutureGen out of town. They have other employment options so they wouldn't take the risk of repeating the Taylorville cancer cluster or other unforeseen problems. The coal industry is pitting rural communities desperate for jobs against eachother to their own benefit. I have to admit that its a smart way for them to get as much taxpayer money as possible and discourage public debate about downsides to the project.
According to the FutureGen Illinois website:
The state legislature has offered numerous financial incentives for siting FutureGen in Illinois, including:* $17 million direct cash grant from clean-coal technology fund
* Up to $50 million in reduced-interest loans
* Sales tax exemptions and business tax credits
* Public improvement funding
* Reimbursement for employee training costs
All of those tax exemptions mean less revenue goes to local governments that will still have to pay for infrastructure improvements to accommodate the plant. With so much public money going to the project, hopefully this won't be the last article to take a more thorough look at FutureGen.