Tuesday, August 22, 2006 10:57 PM CDT
Our View: One-two-three combo may add up for county
By the JG/T-C Editorial Board
editorial@jg-tc.com
Students learn in math class about the “power of two,” but Coles County has economic possibilities these days that hint at the power of three.
One: The FutureGen Alliance has chosen a site near Mattoon as one of four finalists for its innovative power plant. With the FutureGen concept, energy will be produced with near-zero emissions using coal, which Illinois and the rest of the continental United States possess in large quantities. This revolutionary effort is designed to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil while limiting the environmental impact by sequestering carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the process, underground, rather than spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
You do the math: FutureGen is expected to spawn more than 1,200 jobs during the construction process and hundreds of permanent jobs when the plant is operational, expected in 2012. Nearby Tuscola is another of the four finalists, and certainly the entire area will benefit if either Mattoon or Tuscola makes the FutureGen equation. A decision on the final site is expected late next year.
Two: A Portland, Ore., company is pursuing development of a plant near Oakland to convert locally mined coal into diesel fuel. This effort would employ about 600 people. Officials from American Clean Coal Fuels said the proposed plant would convert 4.3 million tons of coal into 385 million gallons of fuel annually. It would also use coal gasification technology similar to FutureGen’s energy plant.
Leaders of American Clean Coal Fuels want to secure a 20-year supply of coal before they launch the project, whose exact site has not yet been chosen. Members of the Embarras Valley Coal Association are working with the company.
As an added bonus, if the project pans out here, it would need at least 20 million gallons of biodiesel per year to blend with its fuels as a lubricant and, therefore, would use 13.7 billion bushels of soybeans each year, a potential boost in the market for area farmers.
Three: A planned state-of-the-art ethanol plant in Charleston would create 40 full-time jobs. Green Lion energy plant company of Arizona wants to invest $100 million in the 60-million gallon plant on land that is part of the former Trailmobile site. After review of the proposal and acquisition of city and state permits, construction of the plant may begin this fall, company officials said, with a targeted completion date of sometime in 2008.
This project should be a real boon for area farmers, since the Green Lion plant would use up to 21 million bushels of corn annually, and most of that is expected to come from producers in Coles and Edgar counties. Farmers in those counties churn out more than 50 million bushels of corn each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports.
Alone, each of these three projects has exciting economic potential for Coles County and the surrounding area. Added together, the trio could be a one-two-three punch that secures significant growth for the region.
We know the work force in the area is ready, willing and able to fulfill these companies’ needs. The great attributes of our communities -- with solid education, infrastructure, agriculture and other assets -- make Coles County an attractive home for such ventures.
We’re optimistic that one, two or all three of these projects will complete an equation for increased prosperity in Coles County.
-- JG/T-C Editorial Board
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
