Legislators renew call to support coal

By Gary Scott on May 11, 2016 at 1:15pm

Senator Sam McCann and State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer were among the lawmakers in Springfield yesterday calling for higher usage of Illinois coal.

Legislation was filed yesterday to create an incentive program in the Illinois Commerce Commission that would put “scrubbers”, or pollution control devices, on the existing coal-fired energy facilities already in the state, many of which are in danger of closing.

“Illinois is currently a net exporter of energy. And we want to make sure that everybody understands that coal is a major part of that energy production. We want to make sure Illinois remains a net exporter, which means we create more than we need, we create all that we need,” says Davidsmeyer.

“So, we want to make sure that coal is a major portion of that, and that Illinois coal needs to be part of that conversation.”

McCann added in a statement, “Talks are heating up for a new state energy package, and we need to make sure coal remains a part of these talks.”

The legislation also requires purchasing agreements with clean-coal burning facilities and allows Illinois to purchase and sell Illinois coal.

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Group of Illinois lawmakers pushing for more local usage of state coal