JG-TC.com > News > Mattoon chosen as site for FutureGen

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 6:45 PM CST
Mattoon chosen as site for FutureGen
FutureGen CEO Michael Mudd announces Mattoon winning the bid

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON — “The Future has come to Mattoon!” said Coles Together President Angela Griffin Tuesday morning in the former Times Theater on Broadway Avenue.

“What a great day for Mattoon. The eyes of the world are on us,” said Griffin, a member of the FutureGen leadership team.

And that future is coming quickly.

FutureGen Alliance will start preparing for construction to start by mid-2009 for the coal-burning, near-zero power plant. It is not just a new utility coming to a site west of Mattoon, but a working lab to perfect technology for making coal a viable, cleaner through coal gasification and long-term underground storage of carbon dioxide emissions. The new $1.5 billion plant will be operating by the end of 2012.

Not only does the energy project put East Central Illinois in the spotlight for years to come, said Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but it will generate about 3,000 jobs through construction, plant operations and the “bubble effect” from bringing this ground-breaking technology to the state.

“This a pretty good Christmas gift for the Mattoon community,”the governor said during a post-announcement event in the former movie theater now used by the Apostolic Center of Mattoon for Christian drama presentations. “I know this is the biggest economic development to hit this area in decades. It’s great to be governor when great things like this happen!”

With backing from several utiltiies and coal-related firms in different continents, Blogojevich said global focus will be on Illinois and the effort to revitalize the coal industry not only in the Midwest, the country but the world as well.

“Now a few years from now when someone asks me where the largest clean coal project is in the world I can tell them I know exactly where it is. It’s in Mattoon, Illinois!”the governor said to a thunderous standing ovation.

And he said all of Illinois, including Tuscola, another FutureGen finalist, can share in the economic benefits from FutureGen, especially for an estimated $116 million payroll and the establishment of related energy firms and plants. It can also mean renewed jobs in the coal industry of Southern Illinois.

“This is not just about this part of Illinois. It’s about all of Illinois, too. This is the beginning of a promising future,” Blagojevich said.

Dick Lumpkin, CEO of Consolidated Communications, was smiling like a kid after Christmas as he left the Time Theater.

“This is the greatest day for Mattoon in my lifetime. This will put Mattoon on the map and attract a lot of opportunities,” said Lumpkin, who adjusted his travel schedule from the West Coast to be present for the announcement. “My life has been in Mattoon. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

and While everyone was cheering, Marty Dole was a little sad to see the end of a era for his family. The Dole family has farmed land on part of the proposed site west of Mattoon. Now, that tradition will soon end.

“I’m happy and I’m sad, too.,” Dole said as his wife, Janice, and daughter, Katie, a college student, stood by him on the stage after much of the cheering had ended. “It is going to be sad to end the farming there.”

Katie, who joked she knew the right end of a tractor, will transfer to the University of Illinois in the spring. She is interested in a medical career, and she could come back home to start a career if the opportunity is right.

But in a matter of weeks, she said her father will know when the farming will end on the fields near Dole Road. The Dole farmland is just part of the land on the future site for the power plant.

Big things are ahead for that land in the very near future.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

Go to our multimedia page to watch an audio slide show from the announcement of the bid winner for the FutureGen site.

and

Don't forget to pick up a copy of tomorrow's edition of the JG/T-C for complete FutureGen coverage and a special FutureGen section.

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

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.

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:24 AM:

" Congrats, Mattoon. Now if they could just clear out the DMV and re-open Top Boy and then reconstruct Tomaso's, life would be perfect. "

MATTOON PROUD wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:33 AM:

" CONGRATULATIONS TO MATTOON FOR LANDING THIS HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT MATTOON ON THE WORLD'S STAGE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS VICTORY FOR ALL OF ILLINOIS. MY HAT IS OFF TO EVERYBODY THAT WORKED SO VERY HARD TO MAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY BECOME A REALITY! WELL DONE B. HINTON "

The Tattler wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:36 AM:

" NOW HOW LONG BEFORE THE NEGATIVE PEOPLE START WRITING HOW BAD THIS IS FOR OUR AREA. CONGRATS TO0 ALL WHO HELPED MAKES THIS HAPPEN! "

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:49 AM:

" Heavens? Two sentences in 30 minutes? Are they sending it in via morse code? By the way, the paper should have had streaming video on this, or at least a live blog. "

ANolte wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:04 AM:

" Congrats Mattoon, what a wonderful opportunity! "

coonbug wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:26 AM:

" Congratulations Mattoon!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coonsey's View www.freewebs.com/coonsey/ "

coonbug wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:52 AM:

" Congrats to Mattoon! Hopefully this will bring hundreds of jobs! Coonsey's View www.freewebs.com/coonsey/ "

Poster51 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 11:41 AM:

" Congratulations to Mattoon and all those individuals who believed in this and worked to make it possible. "

Tuscola86 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 1:24 PM:

" I was born and raised in Tuscola so my roots are pretty deep but I also have worked in Mattoon for the past 3.5 years. Congratulations on landing FutureGen Mattoon! I've enjoyed watching this transpire between our two towns for the past 1.5 years in the media and town meetings. I am especially grateful our state beat out Texas. I attended the Mattoon announcement at Times Theater this morning and must say it was a thrill to be present when the news came and the room erupted. Great job and we know you will serve east central Illinois well in hosting this historic project. "

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 18, 2007 1:45 PM:

" Now we can tell people something else when they ask what the Green Wave represent. "

das wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:37 PM:

" Woohoo! This is uber exciting. Now hopefully Mattoon can grow into the city that it has potential to become. "

Matt Toon wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:38 PM:

" The event at the old Time Theater was one of the most dramatic in Mattoon's history. The list of important people was most impressive, including the governor and various other officials, the presidents of EIU, SIU and Lake Land College, as well as Mr. Lumpkin, and a whole host of other important people in the business community. It truly was an historic day. "

HerChild wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:41 PM:

" CONGRATS Illnois! Praying this only bring great opportunity and plenty of jobs with no ill affects from burying the bad stuff! godslovepureandsimple.com/BirthdayParty.html "

291953 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:47 PM:

" I live down in Effingham but I am thrilled that Mattoon got it over Texas. Tuscola, even though your town didn't get the plant your town will benefit because you are close to Mattoon. Congrats to Mattoon!! "

The Question wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:55 PM:

" That's great news. I figured Texas would get it. "

lbabycakes44 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 3:58 PM:

" What a wonderful Christmas present the City of Mattoon received this morning... Merry Christmas Mattoon and welcome to FutureGen Those words "The alliance intends to select Mattoon" .... I am sure that those residents here in Mattoon that heard that will always remember that sentence for years to come.. I know I am overwhelmed and happy for us here in Mattoon, and for the State of Illinois... oh my....what a boost to the Illinois jobforce , and Mattoons jobforce as well... in the upcoming future... I am so happy that our town Mattoon was chosen for this...I have lived here for 32 yrs, and those are the best words that anyone who resides in this area , or this county...will always remember. I know I will...and again... Merry Christmas Mattoon!!!! Congratulations on our upcoming FutureGen Plant.... This is the BEST Christmas ever for this city that we reside in... Mattoon definitely is moving ahead!! "

lbabycakes44 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 4:06 PM:

" I also wanted to say..Tuscola...I am very sorry that your city wasnt chosen...but you all gave a great effort, and I would like to say great job for your hard efforts, and your time....Its been a long drawn out effort, but everyone here in Mattoon and Tuscola...has done a great job hanging in there...for the long haul...and it is all over ... Consider that you were in the running... for this great power plant...and what an exciting haul it must have been for everyone there in Tuscola... You still have something to write about and tell about in the years to come about all of this, and I am sure that you all are proud, as us people of Mattoon were to be in the running for such a great opportunity.. Merry Christmas to Tuscola... Merry Christmas to all.... "

medic57 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 4:08 PM:

" Hey HeinekenMan ----- Do you remember what it was before it was Top Boy? Remember Sandy's? "

ppcjbj wrote on Dec 18, 2007 4:44 PM:

" Let the Dreamers start Dreaming,,,WOW! Just think of all the possibilities, Mattoon, the Green Capital of the world, Coal, the most abundant natural resource in the world, now producing energy that won't kill the enviornment. Just stop and think, this could be the most important thing to have happened in our life time! "

lbabycakes44 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 5:15 PM:

" heinekenman....mmmm a big boy burger sounds good right about now.... Those were the days... Now were moving on to bigger and better things ... Mattoon is going Green....as in Green Wave and Green Earth.... oh the wonderful possibilities of technology now days.... "

medic57 wrote on Dec 18, 2007 5:22 PM:

" I'm surprised the Govenor could find Mattoon, It's not between Springfield and Chicago. "

Locke wrote on Dec 18, 2007 5:52 PM:

" Well, it's here. Now what? "

gringa wrote on Dec 18, 2007 6:52 PM:

" Wow, what a deal! It took a lot of work locally/regionally to bring this in. Now let's make the most of it. This may be the only time I've ever thought Durbin may be a positive for us in Illinois' future. We're gonna need help from the left side of the aisle in DC to keep the funding going for this. My only concern related to this project is that the government is a partner. I may have to write a letter of thanks to my new 'friend' Dick. "

icarealso wrote on Dec 18, 2007 7:22 PM:

" If I am not mistaken Sandy's was where Hardee's is now not Top Boy "

Illinibill wrote on Dec 18, 2007 7:30 PM:

" Wow !!! Congrats to all those who worked so hard for the future. As a long time resident, I think it ironic that railroads built this town --- and now will rejuvinate the economy. Also, we ahve been known as the "Green Wave" How ironic is that. I'm reminded of an old song by a Canadain group called Dire Straits - Title "The Future's so Bright - I gotta wear shades...... Let the frolics begin !! "

Julio wrote on Dec 18, 2007 7:40 PM:

" Congrats Mattoon you win the pollution! ! ! Futuregen, another ignorant idea from the Bush administration. Pollutions bad for the atmosphere so lets try injecting it into the earth instead. "

Julio wrote on Dec 18, 2007 7:41 PM:

" If this was as good as it sounds it would be in Texas, not Mattoon. "

medic wrote on Dec 18, 2007 8:25 PM:

" It finally feels good to live in Mattoon!! Way to go!! "

Wolverines wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:03 PM:

" Lets keep buildings typical coal fired plants Julio! How about your Idea of wind power or Solar? Hope you don't mind paying the insane amount of taxes for that. Stop using it, if you hate it so much. "

Kevin wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:19 PM:

" I hope this works out well for Mattoon. I feel that the people that are incharge have not answered our questions fully. This is a new type of a plant with no example to go from. My BIGGEST problem is that we are putting it within eye sight of our most precious resource, our children. If anything happens they will be some of the first ones at risk. Way to sell us out Mattoon. "

Wolverines wrote on Dec 18, 2007 9:44 PM:

" Actually Kevin there has been other plants in this state that have done this, 20 years ago, just not at large of a scale. "

FinsUP! wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:06 PM:

" Yippee! Maybe we can NOW get a Target store! Now THAT would be progress!! "

gringa wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:34 PM:

" I assume the final results of the 3-D seismic tests may take two or three months to complete. I assume the land deals will take several months to complete. Site roads, rail sides, retention ponds, etc. The way this particular Congress takes nearly forever to pass spending bills, I assume it may take awhile to turn the first shovel of dirt. Has anyone heard the expected commencement date for construction: as in dirt work, footings, piling, steel, fitting, millright, etc, etc? "

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 18, 2007 10:56 PM:

" Medic, I've never heard of Sandy's. But I'm only 34. Still, I can remember when a lot of stuff went in, the first Walmart building, the old Eisner's grocery store, lots of restaurants. I miss that darned city every day, and I now live just 30 miles from both Disney World and the Atlantic Ocean. I'll be so proud to drive into town on Saturday. I just can't seem to figure out how I'll fit Villa Pizza into my diet. "

jan wrote on Dec 19, 2007 6:09 AM:

" I say congratulations Mattoon-Charleston. We could not have done it without Charleston. "

Mattoon 5 wrote on Dec 19, 2007 8:27 AM:

" Mid to late 2009 for start of construction.. "

Collatine wrote on Dec 19, 2007 8:55 AM:

" Kevin - "if anything happens"... the first people at risk will be the Futuregen people. And don't fear... Emergency Management will have updated their emergency plans WELL in advance of the plant being operational in the unlikely event of something bad happening. And besides, these technologies have been tried before. "

George Bailey wrote on Dec 19, 2007 9:39 AM:

" Hey Julio when can we expect your alter-egos dohbaugh and lefty to show up to give your negative-nelly attitude some fake support? Who are you suppose to be fooling? Yay FutureGen! If dohbaugh hates it then I love it. "

garyvoudrie wrote on Dec 19, 2007 10:05 AM:

" As a Mattoon "alum" MHS 83 living in Washington, DC, it is very exciting to see my beloved hometown being featured in national media outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post. My favorite quote is from the Chicago Tribune which reads "It (FG) will transform a town known for its Soybean Museum and Bagelfest into a world center for energy research". GV "

cman wrote on Dec 19, 2007 11:55 AM:

" Think about it people!!!! Do you really think this project will get finished??? It would be great if it did, but I just don't see it happening. DOE is already talking about who is going to pay for it and congress already cut funding down for it and it hasn't even started yet. Then DOE hasn't gotten seismic data back yet - Think that might change the outcome of Mattoon getting it???? Sorry to be so negative, but when something sounds too good to be true it usually is, especially when government funded. "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 19, 2007 12:25 PM:

" It seems the DOE has not put it's blessing on this whole deal, so why the rush to make the location choice public? Could it be that they wanted the good folks of Mattoon to put pressure on their legislatures to get this approval? One guaranteed way to get it approved would be for them to give Dick Cheney some stock options. How about that idea, beenthere? "

zeldalu wrote on Dec 19, 2007 1:21 PM:

" I am totally excited that Mattoon got this futuristic plant. I think it will benifet the people of both Coles and Douglas counties. I know that this area was in desperate need for such a plant. I can't wait until the process starts. "

George Bailey wrote on Dec 19, 2007 2:53 PM:

" Now Dohbaugh is pretending to be cman. You can disguise your name pal but you can't disguise your stupidity. Go FutureGen! Dohbaugh sux! "

medic57 wrote on Dec 19, 2007 3:37 PM:

" HeinekenMan ----- Tom Boy was before Top Boy and Sandys was before Hardees, Snappy service was at 19 and Broadway, 6 burgers for .99. "

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 19, 2007 4:24 PM:

" Wow. I can't believe this George Bailey is attacking someone on a thread about what is the most exciting news about my hometown I recall in my entire lifetime. It's a sad reflection on Mattoon. And, Mr. Voudrie, isn't it nice to have the national news about something that isn't negative, such as the Omega scam. That really cut deep for me because it showed that there's a lot of dishonesty in a city that could be so much more. I don't expect anyone to circle the city arm locked in arm and sing church hymns, but it would be nice if people used a little more civility. I happen to live in a city declared the rudeness in the entire nation. Not a day goes by that when I don't wish people acted as they do in Mattoon. The only thing that bothered me about Mattoon was this sense of entitlement that certain individuals seemed to carry. Being a poor kid, I probably misjudged it, I probably imagined something that wasn't there. But it sure seemed like certain people thought they were big fish. I live near a recent Master's champion, the founder of Chic-Fil-A, NASCAR superstars, highly acclaimed comedians and movie actors, including John Travolta. I could be the most famous person in Mattoon, and I'd still be a big fish where I now live. Perhaps what I enjoyed most about the whole process is seeing so many people come together. Hopefully, folks can continue that, because I live in Florida. But I assure you, I'll be retiring in Mattoon, Ill. "

D. Bagger wrote on Dec 19, 2007 4:39 PM:

" You need to read more carefully HeinekenMan. Dohbaugh under his many names is the one dragging this great news through the mud. This is the best news Mattoon has had in my life time. Too bad the Dohbaughs of the world have to poopoo it. Oh well, he's never happy unless he's complaining. Hurray for FutureGen and hurray for Mattoon I'm so proud of our city! "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 19, 2007 5:12 PM:

" Hey cman, hope you don't mind that Mr Loony tunes thinks you're me now. In case you haven't noticed he thinks everyone is me or I am them. Just a touch of paranoia on his part, but he's perfectly harmless. "

Class of 85 wrote on Dec 19, 2007 6:29 PM:

" Congratulations Mattoon! Now living in the suburbs of Chicago, I loved seeing the news of my hometown on the front page of the Chicago Tribune this morning!!!! "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 19, 2007 7:06 PM:

" You can't disguise your stupidity? Ouch...and that coming from the rocket scientist himself. "

HeinekenMan wrote on Dec 19, 2007 10:02 PM:

cman wrote on Dec 19, 2007 10:07 PM:

" no problem dohbaugh...I don't know any one on here, this is only my 2nd post ever. All I can say to everyone on here is I'm not dohbaugh. You can keep thinking what you want as I have no way to prove it. I just write one comment and get thrown under the bus!!! That is exactly why I moved out of Mattoon. If I didn't work there, I wouldnt' even drive through town.... "

Rotty wrote on Dec 20, 2007 2:02 AM:

" take it with a grain of salt, as they say, cman - it can get pretty silly around here. keep pluggin away! :) "

Comproff wrote on Dec 20, 2007 4:59 AM:

" Sandy's? Top Boy? In a resurgent Mattoon, Gill's Drive-In will rule again! "

Red Green wrote on Dec 20, 2007 11:29 AM:

" Not Sandy's and Top Boy . . . what about Hoots . . . I miss their rolls!!! "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 20, 2007 12:30 PM:

" Stick around, cman, you ain't seen nothing yet. I hope you don't let the local village idiot on here run you off. If you say something one of the resident experts on here disagrees with, they will call you names, accuse you of posting under multiple names, which is a practice one particular idiot uses, and in general question your intelligence. The one thing that I think you will enjoy is the idea one particular loony thinks that all of those that disagree with his idiocy have to be the same person. I guess there can only be one person pointing out things that he doesn't agree with. "

George Bailey wrote on Dec 20, 2007 12:38 PM:

" Oh come on Dohbaugh. Reposting your HeinekenMan post and then posting under your new cman name five minutes later? And going out of your way to mention your surroundings in Florida? To make it a little more convincing you might want to leave out your tired old references about the Omega scandal and NASCAR. You're not fooling as many people as you think Dohbaugh. Maybe you could bring your HeinekenMan routine out at the same time everyday like you do your Early Bird performance. Poor old Early Bird just can't seem to find the time to post other than the early morning. I guess it makes it easier for you to stay in character huh. Although you've really let that slide lately. Now who am I again? "

katbob118 wrote on Dec 20, 2007 12:48 PM:

" I have lived in Mattoon all of my life and I am very happy for our town. But I would like to know how to find out how this type of facility works. Will it affect our water supply? Are there statistics and reports from other places that use this type of power plant? "

Charlie Watts wrote on Dec 20, 2007 1:53 PM:

" Dohbaugh, doesn't the conversations running rampant lately kind of remind you of what was happening back in the days before names had to be registered (remember the fun you had with Doh). Since the web site will never be able to compare user names with IP addresses there will be idiots using as many names as they can think of just to destroy they integrity of not only worthwhile discussions but the site it self. It's not worth trying to fight the problem, just ignore it and hope it goes away again so we can get back to disagreeing with each other as we are destined to do. "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 20, 2007 3:20 PM:

" Holy cow, so now I'm HeinekenMan too? Is there anyone you don't think I am, Duke? Perhaps your right, Charlie. This guy is getting weirder by the minute, but don't be surprised if I'm not you, Charlie. I do miss the old day when we really debated and it wasn't just about who was who, but I suppose those days are gone. "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 20, 2007 4:02 PM:

" You're probably right, Charlie, but it is fun feeding the monkey. "

Charlie Watts wrote on Dec 20, 2007 4:30 PM:

" Gee Dohbaugh, I would never have imagined you doing something like that :-) "

Dohbaugh wrote on Dec 20, 2007 5:57 PM:

" Why shucks, Charlie, I think you know me. "

Charlie Watts wrote on Dec 21, 2007 1:05 PM:

" I don't know Dohbaugh, but from reading your comments for a while and hearing about the things you know that happened in the area, if I don't know you at least our paths have crossed. "

soldrush wrote on Dec 22, 2007 2:57 AM:

" Congratulations and job well done! "

soldrush wrote on Dec 22, 2007 3:28 AM:

" Congratulations Mattoon! "

Lifelesson wrote on Dec 31, 2007 11:14 AM:

" Sandy's was where Hardee's is now. And Top Boy was where the DMV is now...I am 48 and I remember both. Top Boy's were way better than the Big Mac and also the Whopper "

CLICK TO ENLARGE

City of Mattoon (Ill.) Electrical Inspector Matt Frederick, foreground left, and Mattoon City Attorney Preston Owen congratulate each other after the FutureGen announcement in Mattoon on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007. (Kevin Kilhoffer/ Mattoon Journal Gazette)