SPRINGFIELD - Jan 25 - Pantagraph

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is calling on his counterparts in other states to help Illinois keep the FutureGen project on track.

In a letter to the governors of seven other states, Blagojevich asks that they voice their concerns about the future of the experimental power plant to the Bush administration and the U.S. Department of Energy.

In the month since it was announced that Mattoon had beat out three competing communities for the right to host the facility, federal energy officials have indicated they may want to change the scope of the project because of rising costs.

"A restructuring of FutureGen, as USDOE has signaled, would be a disservice to our nation as we strive to face the threat of climate change while ensuring a clean, secure, energy independent future," Blagojevich wrote in the letter.

The cost of the project has ballooned from under $1 billion when it was initially announced. Now, construction costs may have risen to $1.8 billion. The governor's office pegged the estimated cost Thursday at $1.5 billion.

Federal energy officials say the project must be restructured. U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, a Collinsville Republican, said the agency was considering downsizing the plant or dividing it between sites around the country.

Blagojevich's letter urges other states to oppose the possible changes.

"We need your help, on behalf of the future of coal in our country, to see that this critical project can move forward in a bipartisan manner," Blagojevich wrote.

The letter was sent to the governors of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming, which earlier expressed their support for picking one of two Illinois sites over two in Texas.

The project, which is supported by a consortium of energy companies and foreign governments, was designed to be a clean way to create electricity with coal by pumping pollutants into the ground.

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