When the DOE announced it was yanking support for FutureGen, I wondered where Obama would come down on it. Pro-Illinois, or pro-green-coal-haters?

Here’s our answer:

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Nine members of Illinois’ congressional delegation are urging President Bush to keep the FutureGen clean-coal power plant on track.

In a letter sent to the president today, the bipartisan group said it has lost faith in Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman after meeting with him Tuesday. Bodman, in that meeting, told the lawmakers that his agency wants out of the public-private partnership planning to build the plant in Mattoon.

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The Energy Department, which was supposed to provide about three-quarters of the funding, has complained about the $1.8 billion price tag.

The letter was signed by Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and Representatives Tim Johnson, Ray LaHood, Rahm Emanuel, Peter Roskam, Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis.

I’m not particularly surprised by this and don’t view it as a particularly big deal, but I know others disagree.

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