The federal commitment of $1.1 billion and the work of the FutureGen Alliance bolsters U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s confidence about the FutureGen plant’s pending arrival to Mattoon in the distant future.

Durbin, D-Ill., said in a press conference Friday at Mattoon that the U.S. Department of Energy is expected to make an announcement about proceeding with the FutureGen project in the coming weeks.

“I feel good about our chances in January, but I’m not going to assume a thing when it’s done,” Durbin said. “We’ve been disappointed before and we don’t want to be disappointed again.”

He said he has been in contact with the Energy Department about the cost of the plant as the department prepares to make a final decision at the start of the new year about the future fate of the Mattoon site.

Also at the press conference, State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said the Alliance’s electricity purchase agreement with the State of Illinois is a work in progress.

The bill that details the agreement passed the Senate Energy Committee during the General Assembly’s veto session, which concluded in October. It now sits on the Senate floor. The General Assembly opens a new session in January.

“There are number of conversations going on about if this is the right way to do it, are there better ways to do it,” Righter said.

Check DENnews.com Sunday night for the full story.

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