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3 May 2006 -- The governors of Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio announced Tuesday that they are forming a partnership to bring to the region the world's first coal-fueled, near-zero-emissions power plant -- a $1 billion project proposed by the FutureGen Industrial Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Governor Rendell, Ohio Governor Bob Taft and Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher have entered into a formal agreement to support the region's efforts to secure the proposed FutureGen power plant. The 275-MW facility will create more than 100 full-time research and facility jobs, an additional 1,000 construction jobs and increased university research activities.
"This project promises to help decrease our dangerous dependence on foreign fuel, diversify our energy base to make us more secure at home and generate investments in new technologies that create jobs and clean the environment," Rendell said. The governor also alluded to the states' stake in the coal industry, saying that the partnership shows why America's energy past is grounded here, and why the country's energy future should start in the region too. He spoke out against the oil companies and their "huge profits at the expense of the average American family and business."
The three governors also have agreed to create an Ohio River Valley Coal Research Consortium of the states' major universities and other research and technology development organizations. The consortium will advance the research objectives of FutureGen, provide review mechanisms for spin-off research projects, help transfer technological developments to industry and facilitate ongoing research collaborations.
Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh have agreed to offer and facilitate fundamental research support for FutureGen research activities.
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