In his State of the State address, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn voiced high hopes for FutureGen—the near-zero emissions power plant planned for Mattoon, Ill.,—saying, “We also understand that FutureGen, a project on the drawing boards, located in Mattoon where we have clean coal and we do it in the right way.”
Obviously, the FutureGen project is important for the cutting-edge technology it will help develop on a large-scale, and it would bring much-needed jobs to Central Illinois. But have you ever wondered how the people of Mattoon feel about the development of this project in their backyards?
Last year as part of the Factuality Tour, I had the chance to take a tour of Mattoon and get a better understanding of just how vital projects like this are for local economies and for a cleaner environment. Take a look and see for yourself.