A weekly update on issues from Illinois State Senator Gary Forby

I write a lot about coal because coal is important to our part of the state, and just as important in this region of our nation. It’s a valuable resource, and we have a lot of it, so it’s an important part of our economy. Lately, the coal industry has been making a comeback, and I want to see that continue.

The last few weeks, several things have happened that were good for coal. First, the General Assembly voted to pledge that the State will buy the electricity generated by FutureGen. FutureGen is the new state-of-the-art clean coal plant the federal government is planning to build up by Mattoon. I think this is a good investment. Illinois has to buy its electricity somewhere, and this way we’re helping support the local economy and the development of clean coal technology. The more clean coal plants we get up and running, the more demand there will be for Southern Illinois coal. Another new industry that will make more demand for coal is converting coal into natural gas. Power Holdings of Illinois just got permission to start building a plant to do that up in Jefferson County.

New businesses like clean coal plants and coal-to-natural gas plants will create jobs directly, but they will also create jobs by making it possible to build new coal mines. There are two coal mines operated by the White Oak Company set to open in Hamilton County, and as demand for coal rises, I expect we will see even more new mines. Mines create hundreds of jobs and hundreds more support jobs.

We need to see more new jobs in this area. Too many people are out of work and desperate. I think a lot of the crime we’ve been seeing around the area lately is because people can’t pay their bills. Now, there’s never any good excuse for crimes, especially violent crimes, but when people have steady jobs, they have less to worry about or be angry about. I want to see more people taking home paychecks, and I’m doing everything I can as a state senator to create good, long-term jobs for Southern Illinois.

I also want to take this opportunity to say again that I am opposed to the "cap and trade" proposal that’s floating around Washington D.C. Cap and trade is supposed to lower pollution and make the environment healthier. Those are both great things, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of hard-working Americans like the men and women of Southern Illinois. The way cap and trade works, companies are told they can only let off so much polluting gas into the air. If they have to pollute more to make their products, they have to buy "credits" from companies who pollute less than they’re allowed. This law will hurt mines and farms. We saw how new environment laws hurt the coal industry in the 1980s and 90s. I don’t want to see that happen again. Instead of trying to lower pollution by setting caps, we should lower pollution by encouraging companies to come up with technology that pollutes less. Clean coal is a good example. Biodiesel and ethanol are others. We have coal in Southern Illinois, and we can grow the corn and soybeans we need to make bio fuels. We need to find ways to protect the environment that create jobs, not destroy them.

I still think the future looks bright for Southern Illinois coal. I will keep fighting for coal mines and miners in Springfield. I will also work to bring back more jobs to the area. Southern Illinoisans are good, hard-working people, and I’m sure we’ll make it through these tough times.