With the announcement of the location for the FutureGen plant just weeks away, a pep rally in support of bringing the plant to Illinois was thrown at the Arcola High School gym yesterday.

FutureGen will be the world’s first zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant and is a $1.5 billion project.

FutureGen would reduce nitrogen oxide and sulfur emissions to zero and would capture carbon dioxide. It would also produce hydrogen, which could be used to fuel pollution-free vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the prototype will be the cleanest fossil fuel-fired power plant in the world.

“After two long years, we have finally reached the home stretch,” said Julie Moore, Opportunity Returns program regional manager with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, to the crowd. “To celebrate, we thought an old-time pep rally was appropriate . No pep rally is complete without a band – and we’ve got three of them.”

The Arcola High School drum line performed, as well as the Mattoon High School marching band and the Eastern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble.

The featured speakers were Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity director Jack Lavin, Sen. Dick Durbin, and Southern Illinois University President Glen Poshard.

There was even a guest appearance by Santa Claus himself, who threw foam coal out to members of the audience.

During his speech, Lavin announced that the United Mine Workers of America International endorsed Illinois for FutureGen.

Lavin quoted a portion of the letter that Cecil Roberts, UMWA International President, sent to the FutureGen Alliance.

“‘The Illinois model sets the stage for a second and third generation of FutureGen projects throughout the world,'” he read. “It’s a simple matter, in our opinion. A coal project of this importance belongs in a coal state.”

Lavin appreciated the support.

“Honestly, what better endorsement can you get than that?” he said.

Illinois has the support of the states of Wyoming, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin. The coalition of these states accounts for 75 percent of the coal produced in the United States.

The FutureGen Alliance is expected to choose the winner of the four finalists by mid-December. The four finalists are Mattoon; Tuscola; Odessa, Texas; and Jewett, Texas.

“I’ve read that Texas claims ‘game over.’ That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Lavin said.

If FutureGen is placed in Illinois, it will help the local economy significantly. The plant would add 2,500 jobs during its construction phase and 500 once it is completed.

Even though the FutureGen decision time is nearing, Lavin said he thinks holding a pep rally will help Illinois’ push for the site.

“I think (the FutureGen Alliance) have evaluated all the technical things – such as the geology, the infrastructure and all that – and it is probably a close, tight race,” he said. “What’s going to put us over the top is having eight other coal states, and the United Mine Workers, supporting Illinois – but also having the community support of east central Illinois behind us to show them the community support is there, and they are going to do everything they can to make FutureGen successful.”