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Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
0/22/06
FutureGen
future in Ohio and Clermont County
It
has been two weeks since Ford first announced their plans
to idle the
Batavia
plant and this
is still the loudest buzz in both
Clermont
County
and in
Columbus
.
It is still premature to comment any more than has
already been done, however, suffice it to say that rarely
have I seen so many state and county elected officials
participating in meetings after meetings to address the
issue. I will report and comment in a column in the next
couple of weeks.
In
the last few weeks, you may have read in Senator Tom
Niehaus’ articles about the “FutureGen Project”. With
Clermont
County
being a
potential site, it has generated a lot of interest and
correspondence to my office so I thought I would try to
elaborate on it. Several
sites in
Ohio
are under
consideration and
Clermont
County
has one of those
sites.
The
members of the House of Representatives are continuing our
efforts to transform and revitalize
Ohio
’s economy.
Energy policy is a key component of this effort. Finding
clean, reliable sources of energy will be imperative to
the continued success of our economy. A clean way to burn
coal would be a tremendous benefit to our state and our
nation. Because of this, we are working to ensure that
Ohio
, and quite
possibly
Clermont
County
, is chosen as
the future site of FutureGen, the world’s first
coal-based power plant with near-zero emissions.
The
FutureGen Project is the product of a partnership between
the U.S. Department of Energy and a coalition of some of
the largest electric utilities and coal companies in the
United States
. The project
will serve as a demonstration of advanced coal-based
technologies that allow companies to generate electricity
in a more environmentally friendly manner than previous
methods.
The
project calls for a $1 billion, 275-megawatt prototype
plant that will serve as a laboratory for testing new
technologies. The plant would have the capacity to produce
electricity for approximately 150,000 homes. The plant
would also produce hydrogen which could be used to develop
additional clean fuel alternatives such as fuel cells.
However, this facility would largely be suited for
research and the testing of a variety of coals from
Ohio
, across the
country, and around the world.
Our
state would be an ideal location for this type of plant.
Ohio
has access to
ample coal and the necessary infrastructure for
transporting it. Through its brand of energy generation,
the plant would reduce global warming by trapping carbon
dioxide emissions and injecting them deep underground.
Clermont
County
has the deep
geological formations, and access to depleted oil and gas
wells and un-minable coal seams needed to store the carbon
dioxide.
In
addition to our state’s abundance of natural advantages,
Ohio
’s able
workforce would be an added advantage to locating this
facility here. FutureGen is expected to provide not only
environmental and energy related benefits but also
invaluable economic advantages for
Ohio
. The plant, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2012, will create
100 full-time research and facility jobs, 1,000
construction jobs and increased university research
activities.
Ohio
lawmakers are
actively seeking to make our state the site of the
FutureGen plant. The
opportunity to further
Ohio
’s leadership in the research, development and deployment of new clean
coal technologies and other cutting edge energy sources,
such as hydrogen fuel-cell technology is paramount to our
success as a state and as the fourth largest energy user
in the nation.
The
Ohio Air Quality Development Authority is leading the Ohio
FutureGen Task Force. We here at the statehouse have been
doing our part to make
Ohio
stand out as the
best candidate for this new plant. Substitute House Bill
440 expanded the definition of an approved “air
quality facility” in
Ohio
to include any coal research and development project
conducted under the Coal Research and Development Law.
Through this simple revision,
Ohio
has an increased chance in bringing the FutureGen project
and its positive economic and environmental impacts to the
Buckeye state.
Additionally,
as part of
Ohio
’s efforts to pursue FutureGen, Governor Bob Taft,
Senate President Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted have
committed to securing $2 million in funding for test
drilling as a critical step to attract the project to
Ohio
and hopefully
Clermont
County
. The test drilling will document geologic characteristics
of proposed sites across the state to assist in
determining the best location for the plant.
The
FutureGen plant is important not only to
Ohio
, but to the nation’s economy. It will employ the latest
clean coal technology to generate energy and jobs in an
environmentally friendly manner. Because of our efforts in
the general assembly, our state stands poised to be a
leader in providing affordable and reliable energy
alternatives. Working toward clean coal options through a
plant such as this is an essential part of transforming
and revitalizing our economy.
Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
Ohio’s
66 District
Representing
Batavia, Goshen, Miami and Union Townships as well as the
Cities of Loveland and Milford and the Villages of Batavia
and Amelia.(614)
466-8134
District
Office (513)-248-2565
Website:
www.JoeUecker.com
Email:
Joe@JoeUecker.com |
