Future Gen---no

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2007

Contact:
Virginia Cramer, 202-675-6279

Sierra Club Statement on FutureGen Siting
No New Coal Plants Until Technology Proven

Statement of Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal
Campaign, in response to today’s announcement that Mattoon in East Central
Illinois was picked as the site for the $1.8 billion FutureGen project --
an experimental coal plant that would capture and store its carbon.

"If coal is to remain a part of our energy future, it must be mined
responsibly, burned cleanly and not contribute to global warming. FutureGen
will allow the coal industry to determine whether or not it is
technologically and financially feasible to continue to burn coal without
accelerating global warming.

"It will still be years before we see if the highly experimental FutureGen
project is successful in capturing and safely storing its carbon
emissions--until then it is critical that no additional coal plants are
permitted and constructed in the United States. We need to continue to
invest in the demonstrated clean energy alternatives that are available
today and don't contribute to global warming, like wind power and energy
efficiency.

"We can expand our energy choices beyond the limited, unhealthy options of
the past. We should be offering incentives for alternatives to coal that
can meet our energy needs and save us money while boosting the economy,
improving public health and combating global warming. Illinois and many
other states are already reaping the benefits of transitioning to cleaner
energy. While we continue to look for cleaner ways to use existing energy
sources, we should also be investing and supporting alternative, renewable
sources of energy and increasing efficiency."

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