Coles Together President Angela Griffin thinks the residents of Coles County know the importance of the FutureGen project.

The FutureGen Alliance purchased more than 400 acres of land in Mattoon on Thursday to build the world’s first clean coal-powered plant.

The purchase cost the alliance $6.5 million. Coles County residents raised $3 million of the amount.

“It speaks to the level of understanding,” Griffin said about the residents.

She said Coles Together, an organization devoted to the economic development of the county, invited the community to help support the project. Griffin said Coles County residents raised $3 million in five weeks.

Griffin said she thinks Coles County residents raised that amount because they understand the immediate impact to the county and the larger impact to the country.

The FutureGen Alliance is trying to purchase two more pieces of land in Mattoon, totaling 29 acres.

The alliance is expected to finalize the deal within the coming week.

“The two remaining parcels make up the entire plant site,” Griffin said.

Originally, the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to pay 74 percent of all costs for the project.

The projected cost of the Mattoon project is $1.8 billion. But in January, the DOE backed out of the agreement in favor of having smaller research sites throughout the country, instead of one large project in Mattoon.

The FutureGen Alliance, which is comprised of 13 international power companies, decided to move along with the original plan in hopes that President-elect Barack Obama and his administration will decide to revive the original plan.

Griffin said Obama was supportive of the project before being elected president.

She said the alliance is waiting to see if Obama’s proposed economic stimulus plan will include the entire FutureGen project coming to Mattoon.

“There’s no reason to think that will change,” Griffin said.

She said the project reflects Obama’s ideals with the environment.

Obama wants to advance green technology and institute green technology that will have an immediate influence on the economy, Griffin said.

The FutureGen project would uphold both ideals, she added.

On Friday, the alliance announced results of a geology test conducted by the Illinois State Geological Survey. Griffin said the results of that test concluded the ground surface of the land has the ability to permanently store carbon dioxide gases without the gases leaking.

The plant is intended to convert coal to hydrogen cleanly without emitting carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming.

If the entire project comes to Mattoon, it is estimated the project will create 1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs once completed.

Griffin said the project would have a positive effect on the economy and the environment. All the alliance is waiting on is Obama’s decision once he takes control of the White House.

“It’s another positive step forward,” Griffin said about the land transaction.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.