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To: Sam Citron who wrote (158)	12/7/2005 11:02:11 PM
From: Sam Citron	Respond to of 1740

Pact Signed for Prototype of Coal Plant [NYT] By ANDREW C. REVKIN Published: December 7, 2005 MONTREAL, Dec. 6 - Under pressure from other industrialized countries at talks here on global warming, the Bush administration announced on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with a coalition of energy companies to build a prototype coal-burning power plant with no emissions. The project, called FutureGen, has been in planning stages since 2003. But the Energy Department said here that a formal agreement had been signed under which companies would contribute $250 million of a cost estimated at $1 billion. Environmental advocates at the talks criticized the announcement, saying it was intended to distract from continuing efforts by the American delegation to block discussion of new international commitments to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that scientists link to global warming. "You are watching 163 nations do an elaborate dance to try to make progress when the United States is sitting in the middle of the road trying to obstruct," said Alden Meyer, a representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that has long criticized the Bush administration's climate approach. "It's getting to be like Charlie Brown with Lucy holding that football," he said. "Every time, at the last minute, the U.S. pulls it away." The talks here are just one chapter in an international effort to rein in heat-trapping smokestack and tailpipe gases that began in Toronto in 1988 at a conference on the changing atmosphere. Ever since then, climate scientists, with widening consensus, have linked a global warming trend to increasing levels of those gases in the atmosphere. The linkage led to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, but that treaty had no binding limits on emissions. And while parties pledged to avoid "dangerous" human influence with the climate, they sidestepped defining "dangerous." The Kyoto Protocol, which took effect this year, is an addendum to that pact with binding targets but limited participation. While more than 150 countries have ratified the protocol, only about three dozen industrialized ones are subject to the binding terms. The world's biggest emitter, the United States, has not ratified it. And the fast-growing giants of the developing world, China and India, continue to insist that they will not accept cuts in emissions. Also circulating at the talks were copies of a letter sent to President Bush on Monday by two dozen senators, including two Republicans, urging the administration to change its tactics. "The United States should, at a minimum, refrain from blocking or obstructing such discussions amongst parties to the convention, since that would be inconsistent with its ongoing treaty obligations," said the letter, signed by Senators Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico; Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine; Lincoln Chafee, Republican of Rhode Island; and 21 colleagues. Administration officials here declined to respond directly, instead referring reporters to a statement made at the talks on Dec. 2 by Harlan L. Watson, the lead climate negotiator for the United States. Mr. Watson said the United States opposed any new negotiations under the 1992 treaty. "We believe that it is best to address this complex issue through a range of programs and technology initiatives," he said.

To: Sam Citron who wrote (158)	2/5/2006 9:02:23 AM
From: Dennis Roth	Respond to of 1740

FutureGen Project Update: January 2006 fossil.energy.gov

To: Sam Citron who wrote (158)	2/11/2006 7:09:54 AM
From: Dennis Roth	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1740

FutureGen Industrial Alliance Announces Site Selection Process for World's First 'Zero-Emissions' Coal Plant and Launches Website biz.yahoo.com WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The FutureGen Industrial Alliance today announced a site selection process to determine the host site for the world's first coal-fueled "zero emissions" power plant. A draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for public review will be issued in the latter part of February 2006, with a final RFP targeted for release in March 2006. Proposals for the host site will be due by May 2006. Based on an evaluation of the proposals received, the Alliance will develop a list of candidate sites by summer of 2006. Information about the process is provided on the FutureGen Alliance website at futuregenalliance.org, which was launched this week. The host site will be selected through an open, competitive process. Candidate sites will be identified by applying a set of technical, environmental, regulatory and financial criteria developed by the Alliance, with input from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), independent technical experts and stakeholders. The criteria will include those typically considered when siting power plants, such as access to water, fuel delivery systems, and transmission lines, as well as requirements that are unique to the FutureGen project, such as the suitability of the site geology for permanent carbon dioxide storage. These criteria will be explained in detail in the RFP. Following the FutureGen Alliance's identification of a list of candidate sites, DOE will use the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process to determine which sites are acceptable from an environmental impact perspective. These sites will be identified by DOE in a public Record of Decision (ROD) by summer 2007. The FutureGen Alliance will choose the final project site early in the fall of 2007 from among those determined to be environmentally acceptable in the ROD. Construction would begin following the completion of the permitting process, with the plant operational by 2012. The FutureGen plant will use cutting-edge technologies to generate electricity and hydrogen from coal while nearly eliminating emissions. It will also support testing and commercialization of technologies to capture and permanently store carbon dioxide. The FutureGen Alliance has an agreement with the DOE to site, develop, and operate the FutureGen plant. Prospective site offerors, architecture and engineering firms, technology suppliers and other service providers are encouraged to monitor the FutureGen Alliance website for opportunities to participate. Inquiries from site offerors will be accepted only through the website. The FutureGen Alliance member companies provide energy to tens of millions of U.S. and international residential, business and industrial customers. Member companies have global operations serving customers in Asia, Australia, Continental Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States, among other regions. Members of the Alliance include: American Electric Power; BHP Billiton; the China Huaneng Group; CONSOL Energy Inc.; Foundation Coal; Kennecott Energy, a member of the Rio Tinto Group; Peabody Energy; and Southern Company.

To: Sam Citron who wrote (158)	1/29/2008 5:53:56 PM
From: Dennis Roth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1740

Energy Dept. Pulls Support for FutureGen By JIM SUHR – 1 hour ago ap.google.com ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Energy Department, frustrated by ballooning costs of an ambitious quest to build a virtually emissions-free power plant, told federal lawmakers Tuesday it plans to pull its support for a $1.8 billion project developers want to build in Illinois, lawmakers said. The Department of Energy would not publicly divulge its intentions about FutureGen or discuss what was said during the private meeting with lawmakers, saying only that it planned an announcement within days. ==== Plug pulled on FutureGen Durbin promises to continue fight Jan 29, 2008 @ 03:22 PM By BRUCE RUSHTON GateHouse News Service SPRINGFIELD - galesburg.com The U.S. Department of Energy is pulling support for FutureGen, a $1.75 billion coal-fired power plant that was planned for Mattoon. The federal government was supposed to pay 75 percent of the project's cost, but DOE has proven reluctant as costs mushroomed for the project, which is aimed at proving that coal can generate power while creating minimal pollution. The project was supposed to cost $950 million when President Bush announced it in 2003. A consortium of private power companies that was supposed to pay 25 percent recently offered to cap DOE's share at $800 million -- the amount called for in original plans. But DOE secretary Samuel Bodman reiterated criticism of the project during a meeting this morning with Illinois lawmakers, saying the department will pursue alternatives, said Joe Shoemaker, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Durbin sounded livid after the meeting. “After our meeting today, it is clear that the Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman has misled the people of Illinois, creating false hope in a FutureGen project which he has no intention of funding or supporting,” Durbin said in a written statement. “When the City of Mattoon was chosen over possible locations in Texas, the Secretary of Energy set out to kill FutureGen.” Durbin vowed to continue the campaign to bring FutureGen to Illinois, saying the state's congressional delegation will appeal directly to President Bush. ==== FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2008 Statement from Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich On the Department of Energy’s plans to dismantle FutureGen illinois.gov CHICAGO – “The U.S. Secretary of Energy’s proposal to dismantle FutureGen is an example of politics at its worst. Secretary Samuel Bodman is not only jeopardizing the benefits FutureGen promises to deliver, but he deceived the people of East Central Illinois who spent time and resources competing for the project. We’re not giving up the fight to make FutureGen a reality in Illinois. “After an almost five-year long, rigorous site review process, the FutureGen Alliance announced on December 18th that Mattoon, Illinois will be home to the landmark project. On November 30th, 2007, the Department of Energy sent a letter reaffirming that the project was moving forward as planned. Only after it became clear that an Illinois site would be chosen over a Texas site, the Department suggested the project be delayed and now today, that it be dismantled. “Just last night during his State of the Union Address, President Bush said that environmentally responsible energy is essential to keeping our economy growing, and that his budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology, including clean coal. Secretary Bodman’s decision to reverse course on the most important clean coal project to date represents a striking contradiction to the President’s comments. I urge President Bush, who initiated FutureGen in 2003, to stand by the project and move it forward. “And while we seek clarification from the Bush administration on its commitment to clean coal, it’s also critical to know where the candidates vying to replace President Bush stand when it comes to supporting FutureGen. I am asking all the individuals running for President to let Illinois voters know where they stand before voters cast their ballots on February 5th.”