News

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn told a nearly packed gymnasium at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville that the future of Illinois and the nation rests with the creation of millions of "green" jobs.

"They're in our backyards. They're not going to be exported to another country," Quinn said Monday morning during the inaugural edition of the Energy Summit.

 The economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earmarks tens of billions of dollars for energy conservation, "smart" electrical grid technology and alternative energy production. And Illinois has more "shovel-ready" projects than any other state, Quinn said.

 "We want to keep that record going," Quinn said, noting plans for the FutureGen clean coal project in Mattoon and a high-speed rail corridor linking Chicago and St. Louis.

 Monday's summit was sponsored by SWIC, AmerenUE, Peabody Coal, ConocoPhillips, Prairie State Generation, Holland Construction Services and the News-Democrat.

 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was the energy summit's keynote speaker. LaHood, a former Illinois congressman, had to cancel his appearance over the weekend because Obama had called his first cabinet meeting as president.

 So LaHood did the next best thing --- he sent a videotape of himself in which he touted Obama's plans for upgrading America's transit system through improved roads, bridges and the construction of high-speed rail lines.

 High-speed rail systems, in which Obama last week pledged to invest $8 billion in from the stimulus package, would "offer taxpayers a strong return on your investment," LaHood said.

 U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Belleville, told the audience a "green-collar" economy is under way thanks to Obama's vow to invest $150 billion over the next decade in conservation and renewable energy technology, creating 5 million jobs, Costello said.

 "It's not just talk," he said. "It's happening as we speak."

 Costello highlighted big investments the federal government and private industry are making in "clean coal" technology to cut down on carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

 These clean coal plants would turn their smoke stacks upside-down, trapping carbon-dioxide before it enters the air, then storing it deep underground in abandoned mines and geologic fissures.

 Obama's budget has earmarked $3.4 billion for carbon capture-and-storage, as exemplified in the FutureGen plant slated for construction in Mattoon, Costello said.

 "I think we're on the right track moving forward," he said.

 SWIC President Georgia Costello began the summit by saying Obama's call for more reliance on renewable energy has shone the spotlight on the nation's community colleges.

 "We want to lead, and yes, we are up to the task at hand," said Georgia Costello, Rep. Costello's wife.

 A panel discussion among energy experts on the topic of sustainability finished off the summit. Its participants consisted of executives from utility giant AmerenUE, the ConocoPhillips Wood River refinery, coal giant Peabody Energy and the Prairie State Generation Co., which is building a nearly $4 billion, state-of-the-art coal-fired power plant in Lively Grove.

 Rick Tolman, the chief executive of the National Corn Growers Association --- a big supporter of ethanol production --- said America's energy future will depend on a wide gamut of solutions, including renewable sources such as wind and solar and biomass, as well as greater efficiency, Tolman said.

 "We don't believe there is a silver bullet," he said. "We believe there is a shotgun shell full of silver pellets."

 Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533.