Legalectric

It’s good to see a state where the legislature has the sense to learn and think about what it’s voting on!  The Illinois General Assembly has rejected subsidies for coal gasification in a close but sufficient vote.  Given Illinois is a coal state, this is a strong slap to IGCC, which has been getting a free and uninformed ride for too long.

Taylorville coal plant supports continue despite setback

But thankfully they won’t have the legislature pushing along a project that cant stand on its own!

Energy bill fails in House
By ADRIANA COLINDRES
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

Posted May 31, 2008 @ 11:13 PM

A legislative proposal meant to encourage the development of Illinois’ “clean-coal” industry, including a Taylorville project, failed to muster enough support Saturday in the state House of Representatives.

The measure included provisions to assist a proposed $2.5 billion coal-gasification plant near Taylorville.

The bill also specified that the state’s goal is to have “cost-effective clean coal facilities” generate one-fourth of Illinois’ electricity by 2025.

But the vote on Senate Bill 1987 was 50-51, with 14 lawmakers voting “present.” It needed 60 votes to advance. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Litchfield, used a parliamentary maneuver that could allow him to call the measure for a second vote later.

Many lawmakers had questions about the plan, and some of them said they were seeing it for the first time on Saturday. Several also said they believed the end result would be higher electricity prices.

“Why would we want to go down a path that’s going to increase the rates for the business community and no doubt, down the road, for the consumer?” said Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria.

Hannig said the bill would simply have directed Tenaska Inc., which is behind the Taylorville project, to study how much it would cost to produce electricity by using Illinois coal in a coal-gasification operation.

Once that study was completed, the matter would have gone back to the General Assembly, which could have decided whether or not to go forward with the Tenaska proposal.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at 782-6292.

Did you see this: “The bill also specified that the state’s goal is to have “cost-effective clean coal facilities” generate one-fourth of Illinois’ electricity by 2025.” That’s absurd.  But they get it, that the result would be higher prices!