"In retrospect, FutureGen appears to have been nothing more than a public relations ploy for Bush Administration officials to make it appear to the public and the world that the United States was doing something to address global warming despite its refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol."It's the same tactic Bush used to delay action in support of electric cars by touting hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that won't be market ready for at last a decade, if ever. FutureGen is a cruel joke on a region of the state that badly needs real job creation, not a gimmick to subsidize the coal industry.
There's no one in office I like more than Dick Durbin. My first political experience was as an intern in his Congressional office during my freshman year of college. I'm particularly proud that he's the only living member of the Senate who was up for re-election that year and still had the courage to vote against the war in Iraq. That's why it's so disappointing to see him pandering about FutureGen.
Other states are creating jobs by attracting factories to build parts for wind turbines and solar panels. There are better ways to create jobs in Southern and Central Illinois than wasteful subsidies to the coal industry.
Two environmental groups added credibility to this project by lending their name to the list of supporters in the Illinois FutureGen Task Force. I hope that, in light of this report, they'll rethink their stance on similar projects now that everyone realizes they were being used in a delaying tactic that diverted resources away from more realistic energy solutions.