Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
for FutureGen
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| THE USS FREESTONE, which served as a troop transport and assault ship for just under two years during World War II, will be remembers with a marker on the Freestone county courthoue lawn. |
The alliance announced that the power plant is to be built at Mattoon, Ill.
Jewett was one of four finalists for the facility, a private-public partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to produce electricity with near zero emissions of carbon dioxide.
Other finalists were Odessa and Tuscola, Ill.
“It is disappointing to Texans that the FutureGen Alliance ultimately chose a project site in Illinois. However, I vow to begin working as quickly as possible to make FutureGen-like projects a reality in Texas,” Texas Railroad Commission chairman Michael Williams says.
“There are many clean energy projects on the drawing boards and I, for one, am ready to get busy,” he adds.
Designed as both a 275-watt power plant and a research facility, FutureGen will generate electricity from coal, produce hydrogen and sequester carbon dioxide.
A 400-acre site at the mouth of a lignite coal mine was to be donated by NRG, and carbon dioxide was to be sequestered underground at a location in east Freestone county.
“I can’t say I’m not disappointed by today’s announcement, nor can I say I’m not puzzled that the FutureGen Alliance failed to select the site in Jewett, which was ranked number one on technical merit. Nevertheless, I hope FutureGen continues and is successful,” U.S. Rep. Joe Barton says.
Heart of the Brazos was a combined effort of the Heart of Texas and Brazos Valley councils of government to promote the Jewett location.