Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) is committed to coal.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) has installed Severin as one of the key members of a bipartisan task force entrusted with conducting cost and benefits analysis associated with the use of scrubber technology that allows coal mined Illinois to be burned in the state as well.
The task force will also be responsible for studying the costs and benefits of the construction of new stacks or the conversion of existing ones typically utilized at coal-fired power plants.
Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton)
For now, most of the coal in Illinois is exported because of the sulfur content, which burns at a higher rate than federal and state air quality standards allow.
The committee is slated to begin its work immediately, with all findings and recommendations reported to the General Assembly.
Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) has a coal plant in her district and said she’s long had a problem with power plants not burning and using homegrown coal in her district.
Bourne sponsored the bill that created the task force.
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