2009-03-09

New Life for 'Clean Coal' Project. By Kimberly Kindy, WashPost, March 6, 2009. "Deep inside the economic stimulus package is a $1 billion prize that, in five short words, shows the benefits of being in power in Washington. The funding, for 'fossil energy research and development,' is likely to go to a power plant in a small Illinois town, a project whose longtime backers include a group of powerful lawmakers from the state, among them President Obama. They were unable to prevent the clean coal research project known as FutureGen from being abruptly killed last year by the Bush administration, which had created it and promoted it across the world as an environmentally sound way to produce power. But now those same Illinois legislators -- including Rahm Emanuel, now White House chief of staff, and Ray LaHood, now transportation secretary -- control the White House and hold key leadership positions in Washington, and FutureGen is on the verge of resurrection. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said yesterday that he would support the plant 'with some modifications.'"

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