Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill into law yesterday that will give Ohio a better chance at attracting a $1 billion coal-based power plant to the state.
It is rare that we as legislators work on something that has virtually no opposition
said State Senator Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, who co-sponsored the bill with State Representative Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens.
The FutureGen project, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and some of the nation's largest power companies, would create a near zero-emission coal power plant. The facility would redirect excess carbon dioxide about 8,000 to 9,000 feet underground, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
It's a rare day she said, adding that both coal companies and environmental groups testified for the project.
The FutureGen task force also narrowed the list of 10 sites down to the final two, which will be included in the submission to the DOE. One of the sites is in Tuscarawas County and the other is in Meigs County, which is in Stewart and Padgett's districts.
I was very pleased that we made the cut Stewart said. If this technology turns out to work
it will be the model for all coal power plants in the world.
Ohio and the 19 other states competing for the facility have a May 4 deadline for applications, according to a press release. The federal government is expected to return with a decision sometime next year.
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