Aug. 23--Residents, officials discuss FutureGen | The Bryan- College Station Eagle

The FutureGen Texas Team and about 250 Leon County residents met with U.S. Department of Energy officials Tuesday in Fairfield to discuss the impact the proposed FutureGen plant in Jewett could have on the environment and the community.

A 400-acre site in Leon County is one of four nationwide finalists for a $1 billion near-zero emissions coal power plant. The goal of the meeting was to help determine the scope of an environmental impact statement for the plant.

The Department of Energy is set to invest $750 million -- 75 percent of the costs -- in the FutureGen project. The department is required by the National Environmental Policy Act to seek public comment and assess the potential impact the plant will have on the environment.

"We need to hear from the public. Primarily, we're just here to listen," said Otis Mills with the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory. "We want to talk to the state, to environmental groups, to truck drivers, to lawyers. ... We want to talk to anyone and everyone with an interest in what the scope of this assessment encompasses."

The FutureGen facility -- the first of its kind -- will convert coal into hydrogen-rich gas to generate enough electricity to power about 150,000 average U.S. homes and lay the groundwork for the development of similar power plants throughout the world, according to FutureGen Alliance Inc.

The plant will also bring jobs, tax revenues and other related businesses to the community, according to Leon County officials.

Area residents and groups discussed the project at the meeting as representatives from the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory listened and answered their questions.

"Not one person spoke against the project environmentally," Mills said. "I think every person made a point to say this would be good for the environment, and it would also be excellent for the financial environment of the area. One woman even told us how it could benefit the education of schoolchildren in Leon County."

The decision where the facility will go -- in Texas or in Illinois -- will be made in 2007.

-- Kristy Gillentine's e-mail address is kristy.gillentine@theeagle.com .