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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Coal must play a vital role in the energy policy | ||||||
| 3 | of the United States; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, On February 27, 2003, President George W. Bush | ||||||
| 5 | announced that the United States would sponsor FutureGen, a $1 | ||||||
| 6 | billion, 10-year demonstration project to create the world's | ||||||
| 7 | first coal-based, zero emissions power plant to produce | ||||||
| 8 | electricity and hydrogen; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois' rich history of coal | ||||||
| 10 | mining, educational expertise in coal development, and natural | ||||||
| 11 | resources make it an ideal location for the FutureGen facility; | ||||||
| 12 | and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Southern Illinois University, the Illinois State | ||||||
| 14 | Geological Society, the Gas Technology Institute, and the | ||||||
| 15 | Illinois Clean Coal Institute are currently active in | ||||||
| 16 | coal-to-hydrogen development; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Almost one-eighth of the total coal reserves in | ||||||
| 18 | the U.S. are located in Illinois, and, with one-quarter of the | ||||||
| 19 | bituminous coal reserve, Illinois has the largest bituminous | ||||||
| 20 | coal reserve in the nation; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Illinois possesses large areas that are suitable | ||||||
| 22 | for sequestration; and multiple coals, numerous mature oil | ||||||
| 23 | reservoirs, and multiple deep saline reservoirs are present in | ||||||
| 24 | the State; and | ||||||
| 25 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has long supported and | ||||||
| 26 | provided incentives to its coal industry through programs that | ||||||
| 27 | finance research, development, and commercialization of new | ||||||
| 28 | technologies and uses for coal; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Illinois has one of the largest and most | ||||||
| 2 | comprehensive transportation infrastructures in the nation | ||||||
| 3 | with 3 interstate highways that run coast-to-coast and has more | ||||||
| 4 | than 1,100 miles of navigable rivers, lakes, and canals with | ||||||
| 5 | direct links to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Illinois has ready access to transmission and | ||||||
| 7 | proximity to major electric markets and can move power to | ||||||
| 8 | Chicago, St. Louis, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the | ||||||
| 9 | East Central Area Reliability Council; therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 11 | NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 12 | applaud the President and the U.S. Department of Energy for | ||||||
| 13 | their development of the FutureGen project and leaders in | ||||||
| 14 | Congress for their continuing efforts in making this project a | ||||||
| 15 | reality; and be it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That we call upon the members of Congress to take | ||||||
| 17 | any actions necessary to fully implement the FutureGen project; | ||||||
| 18 | and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That we urge the President and the U.S. | ||||||
| 20 | Department of Energy to locate the FutureGen project in | ||||||
| 21 | Illinois; and be it further | ||||||
| 22 | RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be presented to | ||||||
| 23 | the President of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of | ||||||
| 24 | Energy, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the | ||||||
| 25 | Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member | ||||||
| 26 | of the Illinois congressional delegation.
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