Officials in Mattoon and Tuscola gave the same reply when asked who they wanted to help with their bids to win the proposed FutureGen power plant - Glenn Poshard.

Bill Hoback, bureau chief of the Illinois Office of Coal Development, said both cities requested the Southern Illinois University president and former U.S. congressman. Poshard became an integral part of the state's efforts to attract the nearly $2 billion project, and he celebrated with the people of Mattoon Tuesday morning.

After returning to Carbondale from Mattoon Tuesday afternoon, Poshard joined SIU Carbondale Chancellor Fernando Trevino, SIUC Coal Research Center Director John Mead, state Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, state Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville, and Hoback in addressing the importance of the FutureGen project to Southern Illinois.

While many believe the region's coal industry will see a positive impact, the university will also see the effects of the plant, mainly in terms of the Coal Research Center and other research opportunities.

Poshard said the research opportunities may not present themselves for a few years while the plant undergoes construction, but he believes having a state-of-the-art facility nearby will benefit the university in the long term.

Plans have been in the works to develop a partnership of research institutions that could work together on coal research involving FutureGen, Mead said. So far, about 20 universities have expressed interest in such a project.

"Those kinds of cooperative activities will be a joy to coordinate," he said.

Mead said having the plant in Mattoon will be an excellent working model for studying coal producing energy operations and carbon sequestration. The university also has the state's only mining engineering program.

The potential for SIUC with the FutureGen project in Illinois seems almost endless, Poshard said. While humbling his role in the promotion and planning process, Poshard said these opportunities would not be available without the help of Mead and others at the Coal Research Center and state and federal officials who worked to make his dream a reality.

adam.testa@thesouthern.com

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